Mass Effect: Origin
by Osage
Summary: One year before the battle of the citadel Cerberus has completed their defection from the Alliance thanks to the enigmatic Armistan Banes. It is up to Commander John Shepard's brother Liam to keep them from getting stronger.
1. Chapter 1

**Note:** Dialogue in italics is coming from a helmet or comm. This only applies to dialogue. Meaning that italics OUTSIDE of these symbols "" (double apostrophes) are thoughts for that character's POV.

**A/N:**I wrote this story because I felt that Vega and Traynor, while awesome in their own right, were poorly introduced to the Mass Effect Universe. This is my attempt to create back stories for them while playing with the AU idea of Commander John Shepard having siblings.

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_**Location: UT-47A Kodiak Drop Shuttle, en-route to SSV Dublin Alliance Heavy Cruiser.**_

_**Year: 2182**_

A bright star shot across the window, briefly casting light into the darkened cabin as it buffeted through space. The shuttle engaged FTL drives, propelling its passengers forward. Shepard stared in awe as blue light attempted to outrun purple, their hues cascading over the window. _Mikey would like this..._

"_Sorry for the rough ride, Lieutenant. We're twenty minutes out from the relay and expecting more turbulence. I recommend buckling up."_ The pilot said over the Kodiak's P.A system.

"Acknowledged," Shepard replied, sliding the harness buckle into place over his chest.

Operations Chief Vega seated across from him didn't have the same proficiency. Fiddling with the straps, he looked more like a gorilla tangled in cords than any arms master on this side of terminus space.

"You'd think they'd try to make these easy," Vega grumbled. Shepard tried to repress a smirk when the Chief gave up and slumped back with the harness only over his right shoulder and crossed his arms.

Shepard didn't know much beyond the pertinent codex data on Vega. Stationed on earth with the 103rd division, he was similarly transferred to this mission, but the file didn't say why. Sizing up this new guy, Shepard pointed down. "You're sitting on the left strap."

Following his line of sight Vega quickly untangled himself before getting it right. "Thanks."

Uncomfortable silence filled the cabin, occasionally disturbed by a buffet of turbulence before settling. As the Kodiak left FTL and lurched into the familiar stream of space, Shepard's thoughts turned to Admiral Hackett.

Once you were stationed on X-19, you were pretty done with important missions. So when Hackett did the impossible and pulled him in on this classified assignment, Shepard was locked, loaded and waving goodbye to the poor bureaucratic schmucks before the hangar doors even open.

There was nothing more demoralizing than guarding listening post X-19, especially when the rachnii hadn't made an appearance in years. The station was dull and half the military 'royalty' stationed there were so aggravating Liam would've gladly let the rachnii invade.

But it wasn't all hell. A small group of marine exiles punished for doing what the Alliance bureaucrats wanted to sweep under the rug, were the ones Liam formed a bond with and it sucked leaving trusted people behind. Infiltrators didn't have the luxury of working in familiar teams so he treasured his time with the small reliable squad.

Then again for all he knew he was going back to X-19 right after this mission. _No sense in getting too nostalgic_.

"So who did you manage to piss off?" Vega's voice broke through his thoughts.

Shepard tore his gaze from the stars and gave the soldier a suspicious look. "Excuse me?"

Something in his voice must've spooked the Chief as he sat straighter, palms up in apology. "Sorry, Sir. Forget I asked."

"No." Shepard was curious now. This new mission was supposed to be a break, an escape from X-19 and way back in with the good side of Alliance command, but Vega made it sound like the opposite. "What've you heard about the SSV Dublin?"

Vega looked surprised but seemed to have enough sense to keep it to himself. "Well...I dunno what to think. It's part of fifth fleet, runs under Admiral Hack—"

"Spare me the codex data," Shepard waved him off. "This ship sounds like a punishment to you. I just want to know why?"

"Oh." Vega looked uncomfortable, but he was loose enough to slump back against the wall.

Liam suddenly felt much less enthusiastic and wondered if it was too late to turn this thing around and resume his punishment on X-19. _Better the devil you know..._

"SSV Dublin doesn't have a bad rap...It's not the greatest ship in the fifth, but—I heard rumors about the captain."

"What kind of rumors?" Liam asked, despite himself. He hated gossip. It didn't just corrode morale and team trust, it destroyed careers and he wanted no part of that. But knowing something was better than the radio silence he received all transfer long.

"Well the CO she's...good, maybe a little too good. But she gets obsessive and when that happens the ship gets boring patrol duty," Vega said, sharing his insider knowledge.

Liam stared at the Operations Chief, fighting a laugh and wondering if the other man actually heard what came out of his mouth.

"She's good. I can see how that's a problem," Shepard said with full on sarcasm.

Vega shrugged helplessly. "It's what I hear. Don't mean it's true."

"And you make a habit to spread what you don't believe to be true?" Liam challenged.

"Hey, you asked," Vega exclaimed in mock defense. "Alright, I'll leave you to first impressions then."

The Chief ducked his head in embarrassment, confirming Liam's earlier assumptions. Shaking his head Shepard refrained from pressing further.

"And Lieutenant?"

Liam looked back to him, waiting.

"What you did during the Blitz...hell they still tell stories about you," Vega said with nothing but hard respect reflected on his face.

"They still tell stories about Jack the Ripper," Liam joked, fighting to keep his face neutral as he watched Vega through hooded eyes. There was no escaping that day of hell on Elysium. "I didn't do anything that day. Those men would've fought with or without me. The situation dictated that," Liam concluded.

Vega shook his head as if trying to clear the cobwebs. "All I know is they'd be dead if you hadn't put a boot up their ass. You led them against Batarians _and_ won. The whole thing was pretty loco if you ask me."

Too bad the Alliance doesn't see it that way, Liam thought as he settled in for the long flight. "Thanks," Liam said, fighting a yawn he leaned back and folded his arms. "...I think."

Within minutes sleep took over and so did the recurring nightmare.

~O~

_Chaos erupted as a building crumbled on impact. _

_Glass rained on the panicked crowd._

_Shrieks of panic mixed with pulse fire echoed through the streets, drowning out the moans of fading life._

_A small child was ripped from his mother's arms before her corpse hit the ground. People rushed, pushed and trampled over the fallen. Desperately trying to escape the beams zapping past them._

_Liam dodged the rushing bodies, pushing against the tide as he headed for a rubble hill. The best vantage point and perfect place for return fire._

_Reaching out he gripped the wet rocks only to feel his hand sting, making it slippery against the stone._

_Lights blinded him..._

~O~

"Are you ready, loco?" James Vega's voice roused Liam from the chaos of his sleep.

"Loco?" Liam asked, more to distract the Chief from his rapid in-take of breath than anything else.

"The stuff you pulled on the Blitz, heroic but loco." Vega grinned. "I think you earned the title."

"I think its Lieutenant, last time I checked." The shuttle was docked. Liam stood, collecting his pack as Vega did the same, trailing a few paces more than necessary behind.

Vega gave a dismissive shrug on his way out. "Your call," Vega said.

The Kodiak hatch slid open to reveal the largest welcoming party Shepard ever saw. Six platoons of no less than thirty soldiers each stood at Military ease, filling a docking bay the size of two football stadiums.

"Attention!" one of the sergeants at the front barked.

The sound of the entire platoon standing to salute echoed throughout. Honored yet stunned, Liam turned to Vega who looked just as surprised. Displays like this were reserved for Admirals and above.

"We're on the right ship. Right?" the Operations Chief backed up half a step, as if ready to rectify his mistake.

Alliance troops only saluted the Commanding Officer of the ship, but the earth marines did things differently by saluting all higher ranking officers as well. Liam snapped to attention and returned the salute anyways, hoping to at least speed things along until someone cleared this up.

Vega followed suit then the soldiers returned to ease, awaiting further instructions.

A short laugh from the front of the Kodiak drew attention. A confident young man with sharp dark eyes and a pilot's helmet dangling from his hip clip, approached.

"Everyone welcome Lieutenant Shepard and Ops Chief Vega." the pilot addressed the crowd. "Admiral Hackett is two hours behind us."

Eyes lit up as confusion cleared, recognition registered and the soldiers began to clap before dispersing into a large gaggle. Shepard exchanged a confused look with Vega before the young soldier turned to them. The lapels on his shoulders designated him as service chief.

"Sorry for the confusion, sir. They're all wound up for the Admiral's inspection and thought you were his escort."

Liam relaxed, happy that this was an Alliance and not earth-based marine ship they just docked with. But more impressed with how this kid conveyed that without pissing off either side. "It's not a problem service chief—"

"Nicholas Hunter, sir!" the young Alliance soldier snapped to a crisp salute, putting all the servicemen below to shame. "The Commanding Officer is in the CIC. She asked me to escort you there first."

"An escort? I feel important," Vega quipped.

Hunter miraculously ignored him, keeping his eyes on Liam and opting to stay composed and professional. Even the slight beginnings of a friendly smile didn't waiver. This kid clearly had the resilience required of a service chief.

"Lead the way." Liam motioned forward and fell in-step with Hunter, shooting Vega a questioning look which the ops chief shrugged off.

The CIC was huge compared to most cruisers he was tossed between. Liam remembered his former CIC, a cramped forward compartment overflowing with screens, wires and too many bridge personnel. The SSV Dublin was triple its size. The best part was that people could actually get around the space since they had enough sense to situate bridge crew to the sides while dedicating the majority of the middle space to a command platform from which a CO could lead an entire assault from.

A pit surrounding the command platform resembled a dugout as they got closer. Two heads could be seen below the ground, focused on their screens.

"Where are they?" a tall, slender woman with the insignia of a captain demanded from her two officers in the pit.

"We got no contact with the bogey. Bastards went off grid, again," the gruff voice of a man in full armor replied from the pit.

Exchanging a look with her sullen looking Staff Commander, the CO turned to a bridge crew member outside the pit who sat at a navigation console. "Triangulate and scour the entire terminus systems if you have to. Don't let them get away."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

Service Chief Hunter stopped and stood at ease, not daring to interrupt. Liam followed his lead and heard Vega do the same beside him, though his eyes couldn't stop scouring every inch of the place. The constrained order and flow of the entire team was mesmerizing. Everyone was getting the job done.

The Captain looked down into the pit again. "Casey, how are we with the plasma cannon?"

"Only 89% ma'am." the woman with purple hair answered from the pit without looking up.

"Guns?" The Captain inquired from the same hardened man that spoke earlier, seated on the right side of Casey.

"Fully loaded ma'am. Just say the word."

"_Admiral Hackett made the jump and is closer than we anticipated, ma'am," _a feminine voice announced through the comm. _"I'm all for chasing pirates, but is giving him the slip really a good idea?"_

"Donnelly we pay you to fly not think." replied a man pacing behind the Captain's platform.

"_The two tend to go hand in hand, Preston." _

"That's enough. Both of you," the Captain had the sense to consider her options before making a decision. "Donnelly, what's his ETA?"

"_Right about...now."_

"Shit."

Vega leaned in close to whisper, "I love a CO who swears."

"Can you at least pretend you passed basic, Vega? We're guests here," Liam chided lightly under his breath. Secretly praying this wasn't all a big misunderstanding to be rectified with Hackett tossing him back to X-19.

"Guests? More like FNG's," Vega muttered but complied anyways with a 'no hard feelings' smile. He was smarter than he looked, Liam could feel it.

The Staff Commander practically guarding the Captain's back, ran a hand over his face as if trying to erase the days' worth of beard already there. "If we pull out now, they'll jump the relay."

"They won't get far and they know it," the Captain replied, furiously tapping the holo-projections before her. "Casey, Gordon, stand down. We need to go make an entrance."

The woman with the purple hair was first to notice their new arrivals. She smiled, peeking out from the pit. "Looks like Hunter brought some friends."

All eyes in the CIC went to the three men standing patiently at ease, forming a triad. Used to being cloaked and undetected, Liam felt exposed.

"Ma'am!" Hunter snapped to attention and gave another textbook salute as his Commanding Officer approached. Liam and Vega did the same more out of reflex than actual recognition. "Staff Lieutenant Shepard and Operations Chief Vega just landed."

"We can see that," The man named Preston interrupted, facing Hunter like some disappointed dad. "Why are they here and not in debrief, Chief?"

"Because I asked to see them," the Captain shot the older man down, putting herself between him and the young chief. "Relax you two." She addressed Shepard and Vega who complied by reverting to militaristic ease. "No, I mean seriously. Relax."

Vega stretched, working the knots from his neck and shoulders as he rolled his head. The loud crack of his vertebrate seemed reward enough and Liam found it hard not to smile at the look of pure ecstasy Vega was freely sharing with everyone.

"Wow, did you get any sleep in that coffin?" the purple haired Lieutenant named Casey asked, somehow appearing at the Captain's side, followed closely by her partner. She studied Vega with an infectious smile.

"None I can remember," Vega gruffed, completely unaware that they were now making a first impression.

Liam refrained from shaking his head and stepped forward beside Hunter. "Captain Flores, I assume?"

"Welcome aboard, Shepard." She grasped his hand in firm shake, not too heavy but far from gentle. The three officers behind her watched him carefully, eyes promising to put him down if as much as a handshake hurt their captain. "You must be as bat shit in the dark about this as we are," she said.

Liam couldn't help but smile at her straightforwardness. "To put it bluntly, ma'am."

"We'll get you settled in later. I don't make a habit of keeping Admirals waiting," turning to her officers, she ordered, "Casey, Gordon, get down there and show him a proper welcome."

"Aye aye!" they replied in unison before heading to the lift. Casey winked on her way past.

The Captain returned her attention to the young chief. "Hunter, are the servicemen in line down there?"

"Yes ma'am. All marines ready in neat little formations, awaiting the admiral's arrival. Would you like me to oversee?"

She shook her head. "No, Casey and Gordon can handle that. Head over to the debriefing room and set up. Have a seat when you're done."

A brief flicker of surprise registered on the Chief's expression before he gave a crisp salute and headed off. It was uncommon for junior NCO's to be anywhere around a meeting room when an Admiral was on board, but Liam knew the kid was different and was happy that the Captain wasn't blind to her own people's potential.

"You want him in on that?" Preston muttered. Liam was starting to grow weary of the older man ignoring them, but didn't say a word. The Staff Commander stripes on Preston's shoulders reminded Liam of his position.

"I want everyone on the same page," she looked back to Liam and Vega, "You're in Staff Commander Preston's hands for now. I thought I'd have time to debrief but that's not happening." She turned to Preston, voice clipped, "Keep them from getting lost. I'll meet you in the conference room."

"Yes, ma'am," Preston replied with a resigned sigh. When the Captain disappeared to the Dublin's cockpit, Preston crossed his arms and regarded the two new officers.

Liam held his gaze, not giving an inch. Dad always said older Officers liked to psych people out with prolonged stares, trying to separate the weak from the strong willed.

"Staff Lieutenant Shepard," he said with a slight nod before turning to Vega. "Operations Chief Vega. Good to have you aboard."

"Thank you, sir." Liam replied, though judging from his tone, the man's words seemed less than sincere.

Reminiscence clouded Preston's eyes. "I had friends in the Skyllian Blitz."

Ignoring Vega's agitation beside him, Liam answered carefully, "A lot of good people fought there."

"And died there," Preston's eyes flashed with something Liam couldn't quite describe. "But that was four years ago right. No use living in the past when you have such a bright future ahead of you."

"I don't know how bright it is, but I plan on doing all I can to prevent anything like that from happening again," Liam said with a conviction he didn't know he possessed. It seemed like everyone wanted to test him today and he was too damn stubborn to fail.

"We all are," Vega added, finally showing some hint of tact. "No one told us, the Admiral was coming personally."

Liam was grateful for the switch in topics. Preston finally let up his piercing gaze and glanced in Vega's direction. "No. I guess they didn't."

"_Admiral Hackett just docked. The Captain thought you might like to know, Preston."_

"That's Staff Commander Preston to you, Donnelly," he glared at the comm. overhead.

"_Sorry, static over the comms, you're breaking up."_ The feminine voice disengaged, leaving Preston to shake his head in disapproval.

Liam and Vega fought their forming smiles, as the Staff Commander beckoned them to follow.

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**A/N:** Please remember to review. They get the updates out faster :)


	2. Chapter 2

_**Location: Combat Information Center (CIC), SSV Dublin.**_

"Commanding Officer on deck!" one of the bridge crew barked just outside the conference room. It was followed by the distinct sound of boots on metal, stepping to attention.

Admiral Hackett, flanked by two Alliance soldiers armed to the teeth, entered the conference room. The doors barely closed before everyone including Captain Flores gave him a united salute.

"Stand down, everyone. Have a seat," the Admiral ordered once the door sealed. His two guards remained standing.

Liam sat between Vega and Preston. Across from him, Casey, Gordon and Hunter watched the Admiral as he remained standing, his gaze lingered on Captain Flores directly across from him at head end of the conference table.

"Thank you for letting me borrow your ship, Captain."

"I had to let a critical bogey get away," she replied, without batting a lash of her sharp brown eyes.

If the comment stung, Hackett didn't show it. That legendary veneer of confidence inspired Liam to keep his own and trust that someone would explain something eventually.

"I'm not here to waste your time, Captain," Hackett paced his end of the table. "You have the dossier on Ontarom?" Hackett asked, though his question sounded more like a statement.

Captain Flores glanced to the Chief on her right. "Hunter."

The young chief waved his omni-tool and aimed a holo-projection of a blue planet bearing a close resemblance to earth but too dark in its hue to be the home planet.

Hackett gave it a weary look before speaking, "Firebase Dagger is launching a comm. satellite. It will provide a significant boost to Alliance communications across the galaxy."

"And you want us to play patrol," Captain Flores said, glaring her own daggers at the little blue planet.

"Yes," Hackett continued, "They're in a critical phase and personnel are stretched thin as it is. We need that base secured and that satellite safely guided to our orbital defence system."

"Sir," Hunter spoke up, drawing curious looks from everyone except Hackett and Flores, "if I may?"

The Admiral inclined his head. "Go ahead son."

"We've been surveying Ontarom. The moon of Thonal that's orbiting in Ontarom's system is decaying. Its accelerated revolutions and advancing proximity is starting to generate increasingly powerful electrical storms."

Impressed, Liam added a few notches of respect to his disposition on Hunter. It was rare for anyone below the rank of Commander to say two words at these meetings, and not without hesitation. Liam was starting to feel underprepared for the whole damn thing not to mention a little disappointed.

Before his guard duty at X-19 he was doing infiltration and sabotage missions, leaving that dreaded post he thought more interesting missions would once again come his way. Patrol duty was far from anything exciting or necessary where comm. stations were concerned, they usually had their own detachments and fleets already securing the place.

Hackett gave the Chief an amused smile, before glancing to the Captain's own indulgent one. "Yes, we're aware of the problem, but haven't made the knowledge public yet," Hackett held up a hand when the Chief straightened in his chair. "You were very thorough. That's a good sign." He turned to everyone else, "ExoGeni and the Delta Pavonis Foundation have already been contracted to outfit the base and Ontarom's two human colonies with shields against the storms. It's the best they can do at this point."

"They tell me it's a band-aid solution," Captain Flores said. "Why would the Alliance risk a billion credit project on an unstable planet?"

"Only because the real solution requires the cooperation of the entire galaxy," Hackett said in acknowledgement. "We're sure as hell not there yet. But once those satellites are up they may change their tune."

"I see," Flores crossed her arms and sat back. Something about her inquisitive gaze called to Liam, wondering just how much of the Admiral's visit was about patrol duty.

"Is your crew ready, Captain?"

Flores wore a look that said 'get on with it' but was smart enough to stay respectful. "I don't think they have a choice, sir."

Hackett smiled lightly before his eyes fell on Liam and Vega. "Before I forget, there is one more reason I'm here." Pulling three envelopes from his suit, Hackett handed one to Liam, Vega and slid one over to Hunter who stared at him in confusion. "Congratulations to the three of you. I wanted to do this in person."

Liam's eyes widened as he pulled Lieutenant Commander lapels from his envelope. Beside him, Vega held the new ones of a 2nd Lieutenant in awe.

"Sir?" Chief Hunter questioned when he raised the lapels designating him as Operations Chief. "I'm grateful, but I was a Service Chief—"

"There's no mistake," Hackett said, "you jumped two ranks son and I can see why."

Hunter gave Flores a look of gratitude and barely restrained joy as she watched on from behind a happy smile. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Don't thank me. You earned it Hunter," Flores replied simply. The lieutenant they called Gordon patted the kid's back in congratulations as Casey crushed him in a sudden hug. Even Preston looked less sullen and cracked a smile.

Hackett's voice brought attention to Liam. "Shepard, it's been four years since the Skyllian Blitz. I think you're long overdue for a promotion, Commander."

"Thank you sir," Liam said, showing the admiral an appreciative smile as he fought back some burning questions. This was going to be a day to remember for Hunter, he didn't want to bog it down with inquisition.

"2nd Lieutenant Vega, you're a damn good marine according to your old CO. I'm inclined to agree."

"It's an honor, sir," Vega said, still staring at the ranks in his hands as if lost in a dream.

Hackett turned back to Flores. "The SSV Dublin will secure the area immediately. Your ship has the personnel and firepower to police the human colony and defend that base until eighth fleet returns with upgrades to relieve you."

"Defend sir?" Gordon blurted, ignoring Preston's look of warning.

"This is a precaution." The projection of Ontarom zoomed in to indicate three human colonies forming a trident alongside the firebase. "We just need to make sure everything stays peaceful."

"Understood, sir." Gordon sat back and all eyes returned to Flores.

A charged moment passed between Admiral and Captain before Flores spoke, "Everyone, you're dismissed." The crew started to get up. "Stay behind, Commander."

Preston's smile grew as he sat down but it was short lived when Flores shook her head. "Sorry, Preston. I meant Shepard."

Liam stilled, exchanging a cautious look with Preston then Vega before retaking his seat. Flores didn't meet his eyes until the three of them were alone. Even Hackett's guards stepped out.

The tension radiating from his new Captain seemed out of place. No one was tense around Hackett, he was generally an easy guy to get along with if he liked you and there was no hidden malice towards the Captain.

Growing tired of the silence he looked between them and spoke. "I'm guessing I stayed behind for a reason?"

"Yes," Hackett answered but kept his eyes on Flores. The lights must've been weird since they showed the Admiral with what looked like a sad expression.

Flores leaned back, closing her eyes as she ran both hands over her face, releasing a tired sigh of frustration.

"Commander, I apologize for keeping you in the dark but this is a sensitive situation." Hackett took a seat. "Have you heard of Cerberus?"

Shepard frowned. Back at the villa trainees swapped stories about this secret black ops organization that had carte-blanch extending all across the galaxy. They sounded plausible until ridiculous stories of experimentation on sentient life forms and controlling thresher maws hit the feed. The drill sergeants squashed those rumors and so did most news evidence. No black ops group had that much power. Stories of Cerberus died after he graduated from N7 but the headlines detailing their alleged activity didn't stop hitting the garbage news. "Cerberus doesn't exist, Sir."

"Well neither did Aliens," Flores said with resigned irritation.

Both men glanced her way before Hackett continued, "Until six months ago, Cerberus was a black ops branch operating under ghost protocol."

The confirmation wasn't earth shattering, but it unsettled him nonetheless. He wondered what other absurd rumors about Cerberus were true.

"Echelon was an Alliance command group that oversaw Cerberus activities. We lost contact with them six months ago," Hackett said dropping his gaze, "we tried contacting operatives directly but none responded. That means they're either part of the defection or completely unaware that their command has been sabotaged. Cerberus has been blacklisted and Alliance High Command initiated 'Clean Sweep Protocol' of anything even partially related to Cerberus."

The tension strained as Liam took it all in. Some of the big wigs on X-19 once said the clean sweep protocol is the Alliance's ultimate weapon of deniability. The authorization called for immediate termination of any rogue project, personnel or base. Any dirty little secret was annihilated and vanished into Marine lore, it was a useful tool but one the Alliance tried to deny they even had. Hearing about it so openly made his blood boil. How many innocent marines would be slaughtered for their relation to Cerberus?

"I'm sorry, Sir. But how does an entire branch just vanish?" Liam asked, bewildered. "There has to be someone on inside Cerberus who still reports to Alliance?"

Hackett's weary eyes asked the same question. "We don't know. What we do know is that Cerberus is officially considered rogue now."

"What the admiral is trying to say is that Cerberus was allowed too much slack and now they lost control," Flores set her sharp eyes on Hackett, "or at least that's the best case scenario."

The hostility in the Captain's voice didn't seem directed at Hackett, leaving Liam more confused than when he walked in here.

"The worst case scenario has already been confirmed," Hackett responded to Liam's unasked question. With an apologetic look to Flores he continued, "Those same six months ago, an operative attempted to establish Communications with high command from Ontarom. She hasn't been heard from since."

"Did she say anything about Cerberus?" Shepard asked, noting the Captain's downcast eyes and slumped shoulders.

Flores shook her head looking equally wistful and disappointed. "No. It was supposed to be an extraction. She had classified intel that couldn't go on comms. The Alliance took their sweet time and let my sister slip through the cracks."

The hostility finally made sense. A pang of sympathy hit Liam as he watched the Captain, wondering how anyone could keep it together when their sibling was caught in the middle of a shit show.

Hackett didn't argue and turned to Liam instead. "The Alliance is trying to contain the situation."

"By shooting anything with a Cerberus logo on sight," the Captain bristled with disdain.

"They're not willing to risk sending another black ops branch to investigate," Hackett continued, ignoring the Captain. "This is where you come in, Shepard. Her last transmission was from Ontarom. I'm sure the Captain could use one our top tier infiltrators to locate Major Elena Flores and bring some clarity to the situation while it's still salvageable."

The pieces fit perfectly now and it barely took him a moment to realize the ramifications of this operation. This was an unsanctioned op right behind the Alliance's back. _History repeats itself..._It would've been funny if it wasn't so sad.

"I'm sorry about your sister, Captain. I'll do anything I can to help you," Liam said slowly, as he glanced between his superiors.

He thought it would at least earn him a thanks, smile or any form of gratitude but the Captain's arms remained crossed and she stayed silent, studying the wooden table as if it were a battle map.

After what seemed like an eternity she finally spoke in a low voice. "Commander, give us a minute."

Exchanging a cautious look with Hackett, he rose abruptly for the door. Not sure who or what he was angry with now.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Location: Lieutenant Commander Shepard's quarters, SSV Dublin.**_

Liam hung another freshly starched military shirt in his new closet. The place resembled a mini-loft and was bigger than any of the cryo pods and hot bunk ships he served on, certainly more personal than the cold steel of X-19's barracks. But even the sheer size of this marvel couldn't shake his thoughts from the meeting.

He felt bad for the captain but almost betrayed by the Admiral. Regardless of how bad one officer's problems were, it seemed reckless to send an entire ship on useless patrol as cover just to help an officer find her sister. He was all for sticking it to the Alliance, but practicality had to rear its ugly head sometime.

Taking a seat on his single bunk he lost himself in the high thread count of the sheets beneath his fingers. Cruisers were known for extended deployments, so they never skimped on comfort.

Sighing, he lay back and finally managed to pinpoint his anger. It wasn't this mission. It was the fact that Hackett was risking his stripes for him. A great gesture, but one that weighed heavily because he knew there'd be almost no way of paying Hackett back, other than succeeding at the mission. And that was more of an Alliance win than any real repayment.

He hated being indebted like this, but you don't say no to an Admiral. That's the way dad did it.

_It's also why he's dead. _A cynical voice in his head deduced remembering just how devastated mom was after.

_Mom..._he smiled at the image. She was probably going nuts waiting for a response. Then there was Mikey and Sasha, how long has it been? Time seemed irrelevant back on the post, but now he found himself missing it most of all.

Outgoing communications were banned at X-19, unless they were critical and came through the monitored comm. station. Waving his omni-tool he wondered if it was safe to relay a message. To at least check up—

A knock interrupted his thoughts. Liam looked up to find Vega practically hanging off his doorframe with a grin. "Nice digs, Lieutenant. Or I guess its Commander now?"

Liam sat up with a weak smile. "I think Loco fits right about now."

Vega raised a brow as he walked in, uninvited. "Then cheer up, Loco, you're wearing stripes now." He took the room in, somehow making the large space feel small. "This ship is amazing. I never had my own quarters before."

"I don't share," Liam joked, as he stood and kicked his pack under the bed.

Vega backed up with a laugh. "Don't worry, Loco. I'm not into that. My room's the next one over." He plopped into a comfortable chair near the desk. "If I knew this was waiting for me, I would've hauled ass for a promotion."

Liam backed off, putting some distance between himself and the newly promoted 2nd lieutenant. It wouldn't do any good to thrash this guy for his delusions about higher rank. It was more than just nice sheets and a private room. Responsibility would be ten-fold starting now.

"Preston says he'll give us a tour after dinner," Vega said, between creaks of the chair as he spun in it.

"Great." He would've preferred scouting the place on his own, but that would upset their order and maybe even piss off the crew.

"Did the captain say anything after she kicked us out? Anymore swears?"

Keeping his gaze on the stars blurring past the window, Liam shook his head. "If she wanted you to know, she wouldn't have kicked you out."

"Hey." The squeaking stopped as Vega stilled. Liam glanced over his shoulder at his lieutenant. "Look, the way I see it we're both FNG's to these guys. Let's have each other's backs on this," Vega said.

At X-19, Vega would already be a pariah for his lack of discipline but here...well it was technically foreign territory. Being in the know would mean life or death to a new officer and like it or not that's still what he was.

Allowing a smile, he grasped Vega's bearlike grip. "Alright. I guess it can't hurt."

"That's what I'm talking about." Vega grinned. "So what's going on?"

"They think a rogue group might compromise Firebase Dagger," Liam answered, giving him enough truth to feel satisfied. It wouldn't be right to betray the Captain's trust by letting the entire ship know about her sister.

"Cerberus," Vega said. Liam fought to control his surprise and won. "I heard rumors..."

Shepard smirked. "More _truth_?"

Vega shook his head. "It's not like that, Commander. A buddy of mine worked comms back at my old posting. He caught transmissions he wasn't supposed to about Cerberus." The lieutenant actually looked concerned now. "I think they went rogue not too long ago."

Liam digested this but said nothing as he wondered just how many soldiers knew things above their pay grade. "Could be a coincidence," he mused, secretly gauging how much he knew.

Vega raised a curious brow, shaking his head. "You believe that, Loco?" At Liam's unfazed expression he raised two beefy palms. "I'm no politician, but even I smell a cover up. I can smell the Cerberus involvement on this one."

Choosing not to comment, Liam shrugged before switching topics. "We have free reign to see the ship?"

"You're a high ranking officer now." Vega grinned. "I don't think that'll be a problem."

Feeling adventurous, Liam stepped out into the immaculate corridor of the officer's cabin wing. The feeling of being on a ship was non-existent. Sure cruisers had more room for individual officer cabins but looking at the many doors reminded him of an apartment complex rather than the heavy cruiser he moved into. Only the high ceiling, blue panels and a thick nest of cords reminded him he was on a military vessel.

Vega shuffled out behind him, likely suppressing a smirk to his question.

A loud stomp followed by 'sir!' made them look in the direction of deck entrance where the newly minted Operations Chief saluted with a smile.

"What do you think, Commander?" Hunter asked, as he approached.

"Impressive," Liam answered distractedly, still looking around as he committed every detail of wire work to memory. Back at the villa they taught Infiltrators to know their tech and identify any threats it posed. The severe state of mental alertness transferred over to home territory.

Hunter looked pleased, but eager to get going. "I'm glad, Sir. If you have time, I can give an orientation. Preston won't mind."

"How about a map?" Vega quipped as they fell into step, beside the Chief. "This place is a whole other world. Six decks is overkill."

"Heavy cruisers like the Dub carry more field personnel than your standard Frigate. It makes sense to provide enough space," Hunter explained smartly, although his tone suggested understanding. "Many visiting officers are taken aback with her size. I guess they ain't never seen a cruiser turned living complex like ours before."

"Also turns us into sitting ducks," Vega said, observing the large space that spread on for miles.

"With a hell of a lot more firepower," Liam said before Hunter could argue. "I bet that main ELRC Cannon would disillusion them of that notion."

The ops chief looked to him with curious eyes as he punched the codes for the lift. "How did you know about our armament, Commander? We installed it four days ago; I don't think the ship's manifesto has it down yet."

He couldn't stop the ghost of a smile as he explained. "The wire work is set up in a cluster that feeds into one direction, the main battery. ELRC cannons are new and highly experimental that means more power demand so feeding it straight from the source is common practice." Vega's look of complete hopelessness grew alongside Hunter's widening eyes as Liam continued, "Its also good to feed additional coolant to this gun since we don't know how fast it'll overload in combat. Normally, leaving the coolant tubes exposed is a huge risk, but I'm guessing since it only passes through the officer's quarter's they're accounting for some level of security."

Vega shook his head as if trying to clear the cobwebs and groaned. Hunter only gave a light snort before nodding in appreciation. "Impressive, Sir. Kind of makes me wish I took the Infiltrator course."

Liam arched a brow as he looked down to his young subordinate. The kid seemed ambitious, but the slight and all too familiar hint of disappointment in his tone suggested there was a story here, one he wasn't sure he should tell.

"Why didn't you?" Wincing at how harsh his own voice came out, Liam added. "Recruits with good tech skills usually get to choose between Infiltration and Engineering after basic."

The ops chief stood straighter but didn't fully meet his eyes. "I didn't get the choice sir. That year we needed more Combat Engineers than Infiltrators." The door could've melted under the chief's hard gaze but his tight smile tried to mask that. "I'm happy to be where I am."

The conviction in his voice acted like a shield against further questioning and Liam backed off. Vega was right, they were still the FNG's, promoted or not. Until that title lifted it was best not to crush any toes.

Deck six was their first stop. According to Hunter it used to be the officer's cabin until Flores put a requisition to turn it into a rec area specifically for officers.

It was empty when they walked out and admired the lounge. Comfortable leather chairs good for reading were off to the side. While a fully stocked mini bar with what appeared to be every kind of booze in the galaxy took the wall opposite the lift. A sixty inch display covered the prime spot in front of a black leather couch that could only be procured from earth. While a pool table was set up nearby.

"Hey what's this?" Vega asked, pointing to a closed off door near the washrooms.

Liam looked it over as Hunter stepped to it and popped the lock. "It's a hot tub."

Opening the door Hunter stepped back with a smile as he looked to them. Liam found it hard to keep his jaw closed. The tub resembled a mini-pool and looked cozy enough for ten people.

"What happens if we're attacked? Or we enter a mass relay?" Liam asked, fighting the urge to jump in.

"If we're attacked the water is drained through rapid suction into a tank below hold. As for a potential jump, they thought of that and outfitted the compartment with Zero-G stabilizers." Hunter seemed to have realized his audience was lost in admiration. "It's safe to say the water is not going anywhere, Sir."

After four hours of getting to know the crew and touring the massive ship, the lift returned to the CIC on deck three. His growling stomach reminded him of how long it's been since this entire journey began and to his horror realized he hadn't eaten more than a protein bar over the span of their two day trip. A bed, food and some answers would've been perfect.

Hunter continued his brisk walk, leading the tour with confidence. "I know you were here before, Commander. But I thought you might like to see the cockpit. Flight Lieutenant Donnelly wants to meet you."

"Look at you, got a fan already," Vega said with a teasing smile before turning to Hunter. "Think she'll want an autograph?"

"Yours?" Liam said, raising a brow. "Probably not."

Hunter chuckled but stopped when a blue flash careened into him.

Liam quickly drew his pistol, crosshairs on target.

The biotics cooled to reveal Casey with a friendly arm around Hunter.

"Hunter! Congratulations!" she squealed oblivious to the danger as she ruffled his hair. "We haven't had an ops chief in like forever!"

All eyes landed on Liam lowering his gun.

"Pipe down, Blitz." Preston yelled from one of the consoles also watching. "And what did I say about using biotics on the bridge?"

"Sorry, sir!" she yelled back.

Liam wedged his pistol back in his holster. Clenching and unclenching his fists helped ease the adrenaline back. Vega and some of the bridge crew glanced to him with a questioning expression but he ignored them.

"Thanks Casey," breaking from her grip, Hunter vainly tried to smooth his hair when Preston waved him over. "Please excuse me. I wanted to show them the cockpit..."

"I got it Hunter. Now go before Preston gets a hernia." Blitz turned to her new officers. "What do you two think of the ship?"

"It's good. Big, but good," Vega replied distractedly as he looked between Liam and Blitz. "But hey, what's that about you not having an ops chief for a while? What was I?"

Blitz laughed. "Right. Guess I forgot all about the thirty minutes we had you, Vega," Her attention turned to Liam. "Commander. First Lieutenant Casey Blitzer but people call me Blitz." He grasped her warm loose grip. "I just want to say it's an honor. My parents live on Elysium and they're still living there thanks to you."

"I'm glad they're alright," Liam said, wondering how her purple mid-length hair ever got past standards. "How long have you been on the SSV Dublin?"

"Long. It's my fifth year," The three of them made their way towards the cockpit. "This was my first posting right out of Ascension. Preston scouted me."

"Doesn't strike me as the recruiter type," Vega said giving Preston a sideways glance, flanking her left.

Liam shook his head. "Ignore him."

"Actually, he's right," Blitz fought a smile for a whole two seconds before it came to her. "Staff Commander Preston hates it. But...he has a good eye for talent." She looked between them appraisingly.

"You're making him blush," Liam nodded to Vega who looked away, embarrassed. Blitz laughed easily and for the first time in a long time he felt at ease on a new ship.

The briefing room doors suddenly opened and Hackett walked out with the Captain. Her calm demeanor and guarded expression didn't give anything away. Hackett's trademark unreadable expression pretty much shut down any inquiry.

Following the bridge crew's lead, he stood tall and held a salute. Vega, Hunter, Casey and Preston did the same from the corner of his eye.

The CIC was soundless for an entire minute as nobody moved, waiting for orders.

"At ease, everyone," Hackett said. The low bustle returned as people got back to work. A sinking feeling settled in his stomach, when Hackett and Flores meandered their way to him. Blitz and Vega took the hint and disappeared, leaving Liam as the sole sacrifice.

"Commander, thank you for agreeing to this," Hackett said.

"Of course, Sir," Liam replied, as he shook his mentor's hand. _There was nothing to agree to._

"I'll need to speak to you before I leave."

"I'm also going to speak to you after he leaves," Captain Flores said as her intense brown eyes held his. The slight edge in her voice didn't give him any delusions. Something about this little deal didn't sit well with her and Liam was glad to say the feeling was mutual.

"Yes, ma'am. When and where?"

"Observation. Deck four at twenty-two hundred," she stepped back, not offering Hackett another look let alone a salute. "Hunter will show you."

As she made her way to Preston, Liam followed Hackett and his guards in the opposite direction. When the four of them were locked and descending Hackett turned to Liam.

"I'm sorry about this, Shepard. But I'm out of options."

"Sir, if I may speak freely?" Liam asked. If this was his last chance to get some answers, he didn't want formality to screw him over.

"Go ahead," the admiral nodded his approval.

"What's really going on?" looking Hackett in the eye he let loose. "If what you're saying about Cerberus is true, then I don't understand why the 83rd isn't involved. Or how finding Major Flores takes priority? It's not that I'm unsympathetic—"

"I understand your confusion," Hackett cut in, "but this is more than a simple rescue mission. Major Flores was a part of Cerberus when it was still under military control. She's one of the few agents who we assume remained loyal to the Alliance once Cerberus broke away and the only one that has tried contacting us when it became clear her parameters changed. We're hoping she can tell us what the hell went wrong." The Admiral's eyes narrowed. "You need to be cautious either way."

Liam felt doubtful. "You think the transmission was a trap?"

"Maybe. But I expect you to detect and evade if it is, Commander." Hackett sighed. "Shepard, I don't like this anymore than you do. But the Major took a big risk by contacting us through open channels. Whatever intel she has on Cerberus can't fall into enemy hands."

There was more to it. There had to be. He felt it in his blood, but the bigger picture was murky at best. Hackett was the type of man who wouldn't take a shit without a solid plan. Extraction of deep cover assets required the most complicated and delicate plans which is why N7 infiltrator squads handled extractions at this level, not an expensive cruiser full of jar heads born and raised on spray and pray combat. Something was missing here and he sure as hell was going to find out what.

"This one's off the books, isn't it." Liam stated. There was no way the admiralty board would risk losing a ship just to investigate one exiled Major's distress signal. Especially if everything with a Cerberus logo was being systemically wiped out by other Alliance spec-ops groups. "You're risking your career here sir."

"Yes." the rough quality of Hackett's tone said everything he didn't want to know. "The Alliance has made up its mind. But I owe Captain Flores a lot and I'm sure you understand her concern for her sister's well being."

Shepard nodded, suppressing a shiver down his spine when he remembered hearing news from Akuze. You don't forget a day like that.

"You owe the Captain?" Liam asked before he could think.

Hackett allowed a small smile as the elevator ground to a halt. "That's a story for another time, Commander. You have work to do."

"Right," Liam shrugged as the doors opened.

The two guards fanned out and lead the way to a waiting Kodiak.

"Did you get in touch with Rear-Admiral Kahoku?"

Liam shook his head. "I've been out of range for most of the ride here."

Hackett nodded in understanding. "Speak with him. He was Major Flores' handler and the last to receive her transmission," Hackett said, as his face showed hardened determination. "Good luck, Shepard."

With that the admiral stepped onto the Kodiak's platform and looked out over the hangar. Liam stepped back to salute which the admiral returned. The door slid closed and the Kodiak taxied to the launch bay.

Admiral Steven Hackett was a great mentor even before he was an admiral. Liam never forgot how many times he ran into the man when he was just a space brat visiting his parents aboard ships. Unlike the other officers, Hackett treated him like a human being and not the poster boy every other officer fawned over just to seem nice. He wasn't about to let him down.

Liam made his way back to the lifts but couldn't shake the ominous feeling in his gut.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Location: Cerberus Frigate 'Albatross', drifting the outer orbit of the Newton System in stealth mode.**_

_**Year: 2182**_

Lieutenant-General Oleg Petrovsky was a patient man. While his superiors back on earth acted on impulse, negotiating on hair trigger tempers and bringing disgrace to the Alliance, he ran a silent reconnaissance crew of fifty-three crewmen operating in terminus space. An offense that would've resulted in slow and painful death had he still worn his Alliance blues.

But he was no longer in blues. The new black and gold Cerberus emblem replaced the Alliance crest on shoulders several months ago. He wore it proudly, as a reminder of all the sacrifices it took to put it there. That's why day in and day out, he worked his crew to the ground, gathering any shred of viable data that could help The Illusive Man. A patient man just like himself, The Illusive Man was the last leader for which Petrovsky had any shred of respect. While the hot heads battled councils back on Earth, Cerberus and The Illusive Man gave him tools to protect the people that mattered.

Any mission undertaken by Cerberus had significant ramifications for humanity. Petrovsky knew this and made it his sworn duty to get the job done and never tolerate failure. All fifty-two missions since his inception into Cerberus have ended with results, change and most of all praise from The Illusive Man himself. It was an honor to work for this enigmatic man and he had absolute trust that every action undertaken by The Illusive Man was carefully thought out and in the best interests of the people.

So when Armistan Banes boarded his ship, he didn't question the savage man whom the dossier described as a scientist. Kept his mouth shut when Banes flooded the lab portion of their cruiser with some experimental toxin and didn't say a word when the scientist's erratic behaviour interfered with crew morale. In fact he took it upon himself to keep the crew in line while acting like a buffer between them and the crazed but gifted biochemical engineer. But when he read The Illusive Man's orders in regards to a new mission where Banes' was in control, Petrovsky couldn't stay quiet anymore.

The Ontarom mission was a delicate situation. Some Alliance-aligned Cerberus members didn't take the switch in command lightly. If any one of them informed the Alliance, years of insidious work and deep cover personnel could be in danger. Extracting these agents and regaining their Intel was vital and required the same patience and diligence of any sensitive mission. That's why Petrovsky found it almost insulting to give command to a frantic man like Banes. It also didn't help that the rogue officers were Petrovsky's ex-comrades.

Oleg flicked through the list in frustration, noting his former agents. All very good and capable people which would make this mission the hardest yet.

Armistan Banes strolled into the conference room like he owned the place. And if Oleg was to believe the orders, he technically did until the end of this mission.

Banes didn't wear a Cerberus uniform, opting for a good civilian suit instead. The younger man could've looked smart, even well meaning had he not savagely torn the arms of the suit, turning it into a strange top that emphasized lean muscled arms. He was strong, cunning and could have been the son-in-law who might have impressed him back home. Instead, he was the epitome of reckless and didn't care who he pissed off as long as The Illusive Man backed him.

"Ivan!" Banes shouted his favorite nickname that Petrovsky despised. "Chatting up the Illusive Man behind my back again, friend?"

"Clarifying," Petrovsky replied, keeping his cool as he typed the codes for linking up with their boss. "I don't like these mission parameters."

Banes hopped on the console table and let his feet dangle to the ground like a spoiled brat. "Why? You go in, you slice, you dice, you come out," he said, punctuating each action with a chop, sweep and fling of his hand. "What's not to get?"

Petrovsky fixed him with a scolding look to which Banes only laughed. "I'm glad you find this so amusing," Petrovsky muttered, hitting the last sequence. "But butchering potential Cerberus recruits won't help us in the long run."

Picking at the fine threads of the damaged suit, Banes smiled, saying, "Lighten up, Ivan. They made a choice. No Cerberus in their future. No life."

"We can extract the intelligence without use of force," Petrovsky argued. "These are men and women who pledged to the Alliance, want to serve humanity. We can take their intel—"

"Then we kill them!" Banes said gleefully, bouncing to the ground and walking to stand beside Petrovsky in the holo-projector. "They took my work, Ivan. I want it back and I want them dead for it. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet in your old days?"

Petrovsky bit back his comment, there was no reasoning with a mad man so he decided to save his arguments for The Illusive Man.

The holo-circle lit up in the ground, rising until is surrounded them with a clear projection of a black room. Petrovsky felt ambivalent towards this mode of communication, preferring face-to-face meetings but understanding the significant security considerations all the same. After all The Illusive Man personally oversaw all twelve active Cerberus cell, he was to be protected at all cost.

The fiery dying star provided a magnificent backdrop to The Illusive Man's chair as he spun to greet them.

"Lieutenant-General, Banes, good to see you getting along," The Illusive Man said, taking a long deliberate puff from his always lit cigarette. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Ivan's not happy with me, Illusive Man," Banes said, turning an exaggerated look of disappointment

"You mean Lieutenant-General Petrovsky," The Illusive Man said coolly, taking a drag from his cigarette before his bioluminescent eyes settled on Petrovsky, "General?"

Revelling in the act of seeing Banes taken down a notch, Petrovsky plead his case, "Five Cerberus agents led by Elena Flores left their post. I understand you want to retrieve their data. But is killing them necessary? They belong to the highest echelon of Alliance black ops. Future assets in my eyes."

"And past colleagues of yours in mine." The Illusive Man said even as he sized him up with the brightest of blue eyes. Petrovsky could swear they were glowing. "I didn't picture you as an Alliance sympathizer."

"My attitude on the Alliance has nothing to do with this," Petrovsky said, holding his ground but feeling it give. "I don't want to destroy potential assets."

The Illusive Man seemed to consider this before nodding. "I can live with that. I'm giving you authorization to extend our hospitality to these assets only because of your history. If they return to their posts, no questions will be asked and they can continue serving Cerberus. But if these assets become a liability I expect you to take care of them, General."

"Your generosity won't be forgotten," Petrovsky said. That's another thing people missed about the Illusive Man, he actually listened to the people he employed. "Thank you."

Banes' look of complete boredom and barely suppressed rage confirmed that speaking out was the best decision. Anything that made this monster step back and think was worth the effort, there was no doubt about it.

"Keep me posted, General. Now I need a moment with Banes," The Illusive Man dismissed and Petrovsky wasn't about to test his resolve a second time. Petrovsky turned to head out, eyeing Banes and his crooked smile with distaste.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Location: Observation deck four, SSV Dublin, en-route to Ontarom.**_

_**Year: 2182**_

The observation deck was so silent that you could hear your heartbeat. It also wasn't the most inviting of places. The freezing temperature didn't make the cold steel benches any easier to sit on. He tried to get comfortable but soon gave up and just listened to the exciting news of Citadel High taking home first place in a dodgeball tournament.

"It was awesome!" Michael exclaimed over holo-channel linked to his omni-tool, his green eyes lit up in triumph as he rode the post-game high. "I'm MVP and Mr. Davos says I can make captain next year."

"That's great news, Mikey," Liam said, with a small laugh. The kid was just twelve years old and already set on kicking ass and taking names. Definitely a Shepard.

Something constricted in Liam's chest and ached in regret. Four years ago an eight year old boy stood with a wide-eyed salute as Liam escorted the Alliance big-wigs aboard a shuttle bound for X-19. That boy had grown. He tried to keep in touch, but two shore leaves a year on the citadel didn't cut it when it came to spending time with his son. Mikey was growing, next year it was junior high for the kid and in a few years he'd be old enough to drive. Where the heck did time go?

"Dad. You listening?" Michael's words burst his thought bubble. Imploring green eyes narrowed in a grumpy posture that turned him back into an eight year old. Liam suppressed his laugh, trying not to annoy the kid. They had mere minutes left.

"Right here, buddy." Liam wished he could reach out and ruffle Mikey's auburn hair, remembering how much that made the kid smile back in the day. "I heard," Liam replied, recalling the email notifying all parents of a career fair trip to Arcturus station. "Just don't get tunnel vision okay? The military is one of many options. You have lots of time to decide."

"Okay," Mikey resigned, but the grip of excitement was well alive in his jittery motions as he handled a dodgeball like a hot potato.

Liam sighed and watched the boy, secretly praying to whatever deity would listen that Michael would break the casual chain and do something more rewarding. He was a smart kid and it wouldn't be fair to waste that in this bureaucratic sink hole. "How's your mother?"

"Ask her." Before Liam could stop him, Mikey turned and yelled off camera, "Mom! Dad wants to talk to you!"

_Great..._

It's not that he didn't want to see Sasha, quite the opposite. But he was not in the right frame of mind to answer any of her questions. So much had changed in the past twelve hours, a new promotion, new assignment, second chance...freedom. It was a lot to process and until the time was right he resolved to keep a cool head and focus.

"See you later, dad," Mikey said before running off, probably to continue whatever party his friends were throwing for their win.

Within moments Sasha appeared and Liam felt his lungs deflate. She just sat there politely, like always, taking him in with those vibrant green eyes their son shared. Sasha was still the poster child of natural Russian beauty. Her wavy dark brown hair and perfect make-up was one of the few things he loved about taking her out. Yet despite her calm veneer, he could see the concern in her eyes as she searched his.

"Hey," her voice came out in a soft whisper. "You okay?"

Liam slumped in his uncomfortable chair, not knowing what to do. Here she was after all they've been through and still worried about him. "I'm fine, Sash."

"We thought you'd never get off X-19..." she began, then paused, wincing at her choice of words. "By 'we' I meant Mikey and I."

"I know." Liam clenched his jaw but the anger didn't live. There was no place for it when she looked this good. "How are you?" he tried, hoping to steer clear of unpleasant topics. Flores would be here any minute so they had to keep it short.

"Good." She nodded awkwardly. He didn't miss her downcast eyes or the sudden way she hugged herself tighter. Something was wrong.

"Sash? What's up?" Liam asked, feeling his own protectiveness resurface. It didn't matter that they were divorced, she was still the mother of his son and a very good friend. If that idiot laid a hand on her...

She jumped at his assumption before quickly correcting. "No, no...everything's fine, Liam." With a short huff, she ran a hand through her hair and smiled at him. That same warm smile she used totell the world how in love they were.

If that smile hadn't fooled him once, he would've believed it again. "You can talk to me. Did he hurt you?"

"Jesus!" Sasha exploded, all earlier traces of shyness faded to make room for anger. This version of his ex-wife he recognized very well. "Who do you think I am? Of course not. Dillon wouldn't lay a hand on me and do you really think I'd stay if he did?"

His momentary relief evaporated when her anger surfaced. Sasha was agreeable and calm to a point, but once she blew her top they would argueall day. "That's not what I was implying and you know it." Liam replied.

"Then what? You were hoping it was true so you would come here, thump him and we'd get back together?" She crossed her arms in a protective gesture and gave him a scathing glare. "Stop thinking like that!"

"So now you're an expert on what I'm thinking?" Liam asked hotly. The headache behind his eyes began to take root. This wasn't good before a meeting with the captain.

"Okay, stop" **s**he said, holding one hand up and running another through her dark-brown locks. "I don't want to do this over holo-com."

Liam felt his heart drumming against his chest as burning blood caroused through his system. This woman drove him insane, but at the same time she was one of his best friends. Their tenuous relationship didn't make sense to him.

He opened his mouth, but closed it when a strange look of guilt crossed her eyes. Sasha didn't feel guilt, in fact he was convinced she wasn't capable of the emotion. But there it was, plain as day. Her pain was in hiding, and instead of being pissed he found himself more than willing to empathize with her.

"I'm sorry, Liam. I should go," she said, quickly, moving awkwardly slow as she turned from the camera.

"Wait!" he called out, wanting to reach out and stop her. "How much does Mikey know?"

Liam remembered the flimsy cover story they told eight year old, Mikey. '_Daddy is going on a special mission but he'll be back for your birthdays.' _Four years later and he was still on a 'birthday only' basis with his one and only son. He hated lying to the boy, but at the time, eight year old Mikey waved this stuff aside. The twelve year old was a few years shy of being a man ...it felt wrong to lie to him of all people.

Sasha stilled, her breath pulled in sharply as if she were ready to lash out but thought better of it. Liam could practically hear the gears turning in her head, but decided to not to push her. She was already on the precipice and if he had any hope of getting an answer, it was important to give her some leeway.

Eventually Sasha turned back to him with an exhausted look of disdain. "The divorce came first," she said softly. "I told him you and I weren't married anymore and introduced him to Dillon."

"How did he take it?" Liam asked, more interested in how this hadaffected his son.

She was silent for a moment. Then a chortle of disbelief left her lips as she shook her head slowly. "How do you think?"

_And here we are, ladies and gentlemen, round three hundred and fifty-two in the on-going passive-aggressive battle between Liam 'Lion' Shepard and Sasha 'Snake' Olegovna. Or was it Parker now? _

_Screw it. _

She was looking at him like their fallout was entirely his fault. Not once considering that maybe some of her choices contributed to this mess. Mentally counting to ten**,** Liam tried to form a more diplomatic sentencebut once again she beat him to the punch. "Look he wasn't thrilled about it, but I think he'll come around to Dillon. As for the other stuff, it's not my place to say. He should hear that from his father, **G**od knows there are enough rumors flying around."

Liam deflated at the mention of rumors. Back when the Alliance chose to seal the Skyllian Blitz incident report they received backlash from many freelance journalists. Some of which started their own conspiracy theories claiming the Alliance engineered the attack in an effort to sway public opinion in favor of an invasion of Torfan. Others thought Shepard went crazy and somehow performed those atrocities. Even thinking about that day brought images of butchered civilians torn in half. He had seen a lot of horror on the battlefield, but none towards civilians, never like this.

Rapidly approaching bootsteps sounded from the other side, perhaps a hallway out based on the echo.

Sasha perked up, hearing them too. "I guess you have to go now."

"Yeah, I do," Liam replied, wishing he'd had more time. Heck he didn't know if this kind of encrypted transmission was even allowed, but the thought of waiting two more months to see Mikey was too much. "Thanks for keeping it together, Sash."

A small shy smile played on her lips, before her eyes softened to those vibrant greens he missed waking up to. "Hey..." Sasha began before he could disconnect. His finger hovered over the logout holo-key, "for what it's worth. You did the right thing back then."

Sasha was probably the only civilian who knew the whole truth of what happened on the Blitz. Yet despite that she never once doubted his side of the story and was the only one showing up for closed court for moral support aside from his family. It meant a lot to hear her stay true to those convictions despite the supposed abundance of crazy stories.

"Thank you," Liam said, feeling safe enough for a genuine smile to form. "It means a lot to hear you still believe that."

"Of course I do." Sasha waved away his gratitude and smiled back. "You may be a selfish workaholic, duty-drone who neglects his family. But you're not the monster they secretly branded you."

The display flickered then turned black, dissolving the last trace of Sasha's sensuous features, bringing him back to the hum-drum of the empty observation deck. The boot steps were nowhere to be heard and Liam began to breathe easy. It had been good to see and talk to Sasha and Michael again, even for a brief moment.

But at the same time Sasha's last sentence stuck with him. There was comfort in knowing that someone else out there believed in him, truly believed, and not because they were your blood family. Though at the time she was practically a part of it. Before their marriage was dissolved they both agreed to remain a family, not just for Mikey's sake but because at the time, despite all the pain and craziness some part of them felt comfortable with each other.

Now she had secrets.

Which were none of his business of course, but at the same time they were. She was smart enough to leave if things got rough, he knew that, but that didn't stop the seed of worry from planting itself in his heart.

The bootsteps returned before he could get too lost in his thoughts. A knock sounded and a slim confident woman with sly eyes beneath short red bangs that losely framed her foreheadpoked her head in. "Didn't think I'd find you here, Commander. Now I owe Glen twenty."

Shepard tilted his head in confusion as he studied the rank on her shoulders. "Flight Lieutenant..."

"Eliza Donnelly." Leaning against the doorframe she regarded him for a long moment, as if trying to read his mind. "But you can call me Ellie."

"Who's flying the ship, Ellie?" he asked, voice crossed between amusement and caution as he felt the worn leather of his Paladin pistol at his thigh. Something about her careful approach perked his senses. There was something odd in the way she kept her hands hidden, the way she measured her steps and stole glances at the door. Soldiers who were jittery aboard their own ship were either breaking regs or up to no good. Where the heck was the Captain?

"Captain autopilot," she replied, stepping forward while seemingly balancing something behind her. "I'll introduce you..." His grip tightened on the hilt of his pistol as she continued, "I've heard the stories but never thought I'd see you in person."

"You want an autograph?" He asked with a coy smile.

Her eyes narrowed playfully, framed by bangs that gave her a feisty edge. Liam's finger hovered over the button that would extend his pistol, but Donnelly's burst of laughter caught him off guard. He stared dumbfounded as she relaxed and slowly brought her hand out to reveal a bottle.

"Jumpy, aren't ya?" She glanced to his holster as she offered the bottle. "Batarian ale! So we can drink their tears. The least I can do since you kicked those Batarians in the daddy-bags and saved my baby brother."

Vowing to stop overreacting Liam reached for it with a smile. "Thank you. Who's your brother?"

"A royal pain in the ass." She sat down next to him as he surveyed the label with widening eyes. It was black label, rare and expensive. "But thanks for saving Kenneth."

"It's my job." He caught her eye. "I can't take this it costs a fortune." He offered the bottle back but she shook her head stubbornly. "Plus, we can't drink on duty anyways."

The elegant rogue bangs framing her face swayed in defiance. "Afraid I can't do that, Commander. Besides its considered rude not to get completely hammered whenever you decide to open one of these," she said with a joking wink.

Arguing wouldn't work on this one. And if he was honest with himself, holding onto real alcohol felt amazing.

She nestled back and looked out to space. "How are you settling in?" she asked.

_If I had a penny..._

"It's a good ship with a solid crew," he replied, turning the bottle in his hands. Its chilling condensation begged him to take a sip, but honed instincts fought the impulse.

He could feel her gaze leave the stars and return to him. Something in her relaxed posture tempted him to do the same, to let loose and fall into the easy pace of the team. But if he remembered a single thing from his posting at X-19, it's that nothing is easy and everyone has an agenda. Eyes narrowing at the bottle, he forced himself to erect the barriers and figure her out.

"I think you'll like it here," she said, with a hint of wistfulness mixed to go with the muted mirth.

"Yeah?" Liam set the bottle down and rubbed the moisture from his hands. "What makes you say that?" He asked.

"Because you have no choice." The voice behind them didn't surprise either marine. In fact, Eliza looked pretty impressed when he maintained eye contact before casually breaking off to rise. "At ease. You know not to salute me outside the service sections," Captain Flores said, leaning against the door as she chided the flight lieutenant.

Eliza ignored her and pulled a smart salute with a mischievous smile. "Just following my commander's example, ma'am," she said, looking past her right at his hand mid-salute.

Captain Flores turned to him and he felt like an idiot. The regs seemed to change in each room, he was gonna have to start using flashcards soon.

"Sorry ma'am, I'm still learning the ropes," Liam said in a last ditch effort to appease her before ripping into him for the alcohol. Great.

But her sharp eyes stayed on his as she nodded in understanding. "Donnelly, go make sure Grinkov remembers to breathe," she said, eyes never leaving his.

Ellie took one look between them before brushing past Liam, taking the bottle with a discreet wink as she left. He was just happy to avoid reprimands on his first day.

When the doors closed Captain Flores circled him and came to stand at the window.

Unsure of what to do, Liam remained standing as he watched her profile. Vega wasn't kidding when he said she was capable, her mission dossier had a 92% success rate and from what he observed she had a solid crew. But the fact that she stayed at the rank of Captain for the past four years told him she too was on the Alliance shit list, that or the stupid glass ceiling that kept competent officers from rising ended her career. Whatever the case, he was looking forward to serving with someone who actually knew what they were doing.

"I read your dossier," The Captain said, keeping her back to him as she watched the blur of stars pass their window. "I'm sorry about what happened during the Blitz."

He could feel the icicles of dread cutting into his guts, spiking the adrenaline that often accompanied the nervous jolt.

"Ma'am?" he asked, trying to clarify. There was no way she'd have known. There was enough red tape around the Skyllian Blitz aftermath that no regular Captain would have access to.

Captain Flores turned to him with a neutral expression or careful poker face depending on how you looked at it. But both said the same thing, there was no sense playing dumb. "Your PTSD, Commander—"

"—won't be a problem," Liam replied quickly before he could stop himself. If she was fishing based on rumors then she now had confirmation. He wanted to kick himself for the stupid rookie mistake.

If Flores didn't like being interrupted she sure didn't show it or maybe she just didn't want to reprimand the damaged goods. Whatever the case, she crossed her arms casually and sized him up.

"Good," She replied. He could feel the heat on his forehead but didn't dare move a muscle as she continued, "But I have to be honest with you, Shepard. When I requested Alliance aide I needed more than an Infiltrator and another Chief." Shaking her head lightly she muttered almost to herself, "I guess this confirms the Alliance's attitude towards their assets."

"With all due respect ma'am, the extraction of a deep cover operative is usually handled by a team of infiltrators, not a heavy cruiser," Liam explained, even though she likely knew this. "I don't know what else to tell you except that I'll try my best to get her out of there."

The Captain studied him with an unreadable look, but somehow Liam sensed she didn't fully trust him just yet. He couldn't exactly blame her if she read the classified part of his dossier, that and the fact that infiltrators were the lone wolves of most military branches and it was easy to see why reg forces were cautious. "I don't know you and I'm trusting you with some serious sensitive intel, Shepard. Don't let me down."

The hidden _or you'll regret it, _wasn't lost on him.

"I don't plan to," Shepard replied with a small but confident smile. "Are you afraid the others will think less of you if you told them the true objective of this patrol mission?"

"It is the true objective," Flores warned, punctuated with a deadly gaze. "Extracting Elena is a career killer if the Alliance ever finds out. I'd rather not risk my team. You and I however, we're already dead to them."

Liam couldn't help but agree with half of that. Although he held 'War Hero' status on every recruiting poster in the galaxy, the Alliance officially buried him shortly after. But he wasn't bitter. If anything it proved that Alliance Command, just like any other organization, was prone to bureaucracy. But at the end of the day, their ultimate goal of defending the galaxy was met every day with honest marines. As long as those remained in the ranks, he could rest easy and have some faith.

"You should get some rest. We land in twelve hours." She said dismissively, moving from the window and heading for the door.

"Ma'am?" Liam asked, before she could pass him, "I'm keeping your secret..."

She stopped in her tracks, giving him a sidelong glance. "And I'm keeping yours, don't worry. Let's just get this done and return to being dead to the Alliance."

She kept dangling that thread like a test. But this wasn't the time to pry so he didn't, confident in the fact that he passed. Liam smiled despite himself as he watched her walk away. This would be a very interesting posting indeed.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Location: Ontarom, 500m south of Firebase Dagger.**_

_**SSV Dublin, Ops Hangar, Deck 1.**_

Arming himself with the same economy of motion instilled through years of drill, Liam snapped the last shoulder strap before moving onto the weapons. The Paladin pistol joined his belt**.**

He started reaching for the Mantis but stopped. It was going to be tight quarters from here on in, so the rifle would be nothing but extra weight.

Finishing up, he felt the familiar sensation of all eyes in the briefing platform settling on him. Hunter, Gordon, Casey and Vega stole curious glances at his attire while donning their own standard issue Alliance blue armor. Nobody questioned his choice of civilian jeans and leather jacket, it wouldn't stop bullets, but the phasic vest underneath would.

Despite the lack of space on the small platform, everyone was committed to complete and total order. The lockers were neat and tidy, all weapons were either in the laps of their owners or properly stowed away, nothing littered the dark polished steel surface. Glen Gordon scrutinized a shotgun at one of two stainless steel workbenches on either side of their central meeting area while Casey began studying the holographic map on the circular conference table which dominated the middle as everyone else finished up. They were all in sync and ready to move. Nobody stopped to marvel at how huge the hangar itself was. There was enough space to swallow a whole frigate and still have room for a fleet of ten Mako's, just standing there and overlooking the heavy unloading work going on below left him feeling miniscule. Just one more cog in the military machine.

With Flores and Preston still in the CIC, that left him in charge and from the way they were looking at him they expected orders.

"I'm sure most of you have experience setting up an FOB?" Liam asked, stuffing a silencer in his pocket.

A couple of snorts made their rounds.

"That a trick question, Commander?" Glen Gordon asked, looking up from his Katana shotgun. It had enough shredder mods to stop a charging krogan.

"Only if that's a trick answer," Liam joked, lightening the mood as he stood. "If everyone knows what they're doing then get to it. I'll be back."

A chorus of "Aye-aye" and "Yes Sir!" echoed from the senior officers as they broke off and got to work coordinating their squads.

It was good to be in charge again. Or at least it would've been if he was allowed to stay and oversee this vital operation. A strong forward operating base meant life in a battlefield, many of the half-assed ones turned into a tomb for its lazy soldiers. But he needed a head start if he wanted to investigate Elena's apartment.

He managed two steps off the platform before Casey intercepted him. "What's your comm channel, sir?" She asked, tapping her omni-tool. "I don't want to be the one to explain how we lost our new Commander."

Endeavor was the last human colony where Elena Floresregistered a flat. All the officers thought he was going to register their presence to the colony council. He wasn't ready to let something as trivial as radio frequencies show his detour and blow his op. "Give me our comm codes. I'll contact base camp directly if I run into any trouble."

"You expecting trouble, Shepard?" Gordon perked up. The Vanguard was restless but thankfully had enough professional veneer to keep it under control.

"Nah, he'd share if it came to that. Right?" Vega quipped, tapping the other man with the butt of his rifle.

Liam smiled at his new FNG buddy, worth his weight in gold when it came to switching topics.

"Yell if you need us, sir," Hunter said from his corner of a workbench. "Good luck."

"Thanks." With that Liam slipped out before anyone could ask another question. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. This crew was alright, not exactly a group of hardened infiltrators following the silence-is-golden rule, but lively enough to be interesting.

Breezy, tropical and surprisingly inviting, Ontarom was a breath of fresh air from space. The smell of wet grass and sweet flowers was a nice change from the aridity of space and it was good to be on solid ground. Sand whipped out across his face the minute the winds changed and brought his attention to Firebase Dagger, shimmering in the hot sun like a mirage. So far, yet so close. Venturing out further, Liam finally realized why they chose this place to land in. They were at the edge of a rainforest, with most of the thicker woods and deep valleys behind them and hot sand up ahead. This was a strange planet, part desert, part tropics all in one. Well if he had to choose which side he was going to operate from, it would've been right here.

The crew started their unloading procedures. Glen Gordon was at the front ordering his platoon to their positions. Casey and Hunter were huddled with another group of techs loading communications equipment into a Mako.

Vega trotted up to the entrance, eyes grim as he surveyed the same surroundings. "Ever been on Ontarom, Shepard?"

"No." Liam slowly shook his head, admiring the view from the open hangar doors. "You?"

"No. Haven't left Earth since basic on Titan." Vega seemed hesitant to leave the hangar and step onto their new planet. Frowning, Liam walked back inside.

From their vantage point the base wasn't that far away. According to the schematics, the colony of Endeavor wouldn't be much further. Getting in would be easy. The civilian attire would help with the covery story, but he was jumping in blindly that made Liam feeluneasy. There was no recon Intel to rely on and not even Kahoku's transcript could give an accurate analysis of what to expect.

"I'm guessing you're from 103rd division?" Liam ventured, though he wasn't really guessing since he read Vega's dossier, just indulging the small talk as he pondered the logistics of his plan.

They reached the vehicle platform overlooking the hangar floor, reg-force marines prepped the Mako's for transport. A few stepped aside as Liam approached, giving him a clear path to the ready and waiting Mako

"Yeah." Vega stopped and tried to swallow whatever it was he wanted to say.

"What is it?" Liam encouraged, as he took the offered data pad from the tech and signed for the keys.

"Nothing," Vega replied. "Just not used to anything but Earth. Kind of hope this posting works out, you know?"

Liam smirked. He knew what was waiting for him if this posting worked out, a one way ticket back to X-19**,** no ifs**,** buts or maybe's. But for Vega**,** well...at least the guy had Earth. "That eager to get back?"

Vega shook his head. "Nothing to go back to."

That got Liam's attention but Vega was already moving away, shaking off whatever it was he didn't want to talk about. "Then—I don't understand. If there's nothing to go back to, why are you so eager to get back?"

"It's nothing," Vega replied. "Forget it, Loco."

A flicker of understanding resonated through him as he nodded. Vega was just homesick, it was understandable and he'd be lying to himself if he didn't admit he missed his own home...or whatever Sasha left of it.

"Hey," Liam said, with a growing smile.

Vega turned to him with a questioning look.

"Don't let the FNG status drag you down," Liam chided, before moving to the Mako at the far end of the platform. "Join me for a beer later."

That seemed to work as Vega smiled. "Copy that."

* * *

**A/N: I'd like to thank Elizabeth and Nils for their awesome beta work and support. You guys are the best!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Location: Cerberus underground research facility-Ontarom.**_

_**6 months ago...**_

Unlike the rest of the Alliance, Cerberus took pride in versatility, precision and most importantly effectiveness. The rank & file structure of the Alliance impeded all three so it was first out the window when the new system of tiers was born.

Tiers, comprised of top operatives from different divisions that functioned as one squad and answered to a single officer in charge. Each Tier received orders from Echelon, the section of Alliance command that oversaw all Cerberus activity. With six tiers fully holding Cerberus' chain, things ran smoothly.

At the highest end of the clearance spectrum, the officers of Tier six had the most privilege in the tightly structured world of Cerberus. And since vital secrets were shared exclusively among Tier six operatives, any breach of policy or flat out betrayal was punishable by death.

That last sub-section of the recruitment documentsburned heavily in Major Elena Flores' mind. Any leak of today's unauthorized meeting would result in a quick death for everyone. No questions asked. But when all four of her trusted operatives found the hideaway, Elena learned to breathe normally again. It was risky, meeting in the presentation room right under Cerberus' nose, but it was the best way of seeing all of them at once. An earlier omni-tool sweep revealed this room was bug free, so unless someone rigged the synthetic oak table to blow, they had nothing to worry about. Months of planning went into this meeting, including everything from new identities to extraction procedures and most importantly research data master keys. Nothing could go wrong, not now. Especially if everything Kahoku had said was true.

While everyone else chatted privately among themselves, it was Operative Mark Kassel who gave her a concerned look. She smiled but that wasn't enough. The man could read her like a book and for the first time she hated him for it.

"You okay, Major?" Mark's question cut the chatter and put all eyes on her.

Even though Alliance ranks were stripped when you entered Cerberus, her people never stopped calling her Major. She made the mistake of presenting her rank on the first day and the name stuck ever since.

"Not really." Exhaling, Elena watched the careful poker faces of her top operatives. "There's something we need to discuss." The small arid roomwent dead quiet as everyone waited for her to get on with it. Here goes, she thought and took her seat at the head of the table. "Cerberus is compromised."

It took a moment to set in, but once it did the poker faces crumbled. Dark clouds of confusion and rage reflected in their eyes, mainly from Selina York at the opposite end.

"I don't get it. How...do we just get compromised?" Selina asked, running a hand through her pixie styled black hair. She was still a girl compared to the rest of them and was therefore allowed a stupid question every now and then.

"The same way we do the compromising," Elena said simply. "According to my handler, the Alliance lost contact with Echelon at Cerberus HQ."

"Bullshit!" Jin Xiang cut in sharply. "Check your comms. I receive my orders loud and clear." With that she leaned back and crossed her arms in defiance. The squad murmured in agreement.

"Oh? And when was the last time you received a mission?" Elena asked, playing dumb for the sake of getting a point across.

Xiang remained silent but sat tall despite the attention.

Of all the field agents Xiang had top scores, a clean record and exemplary field history with a bitchy personality to boot. If it weren't for her skills, Elena would've saved herself the headache long ago.

"When have any of you worked a full year without a single field assignment?" The Major asked, doing a sweep of the room as they all ducked her gaze save for Mark. She could practically hear the gears turning in his head, while his blue eyes fought to convey calm.

"She's right." Mark looked up, clearly troubled now. "I've been field testing and designing something called a Hammerhead. The only real work they toss down the pipe is about this group called the Collectors, but nothing concrete beyond that."

Each Cerberus agent in their tier functioned as an operative and scientist based on their previous educational background. Mark was a gifted engineer before Cerberus added** '**deadly spy' to his resume just four months after she joined. Every operative was taught to bite his tongue or bear the consequences of talking openly about their work. His complete disregard for that right now, let her know he was on her side and for that she was grateful.

Seemingly running on the same page, Operative Roberts spoke up from her left as he shook the last contents of his beer can. Leave it to Jeremy to be the only one drinking at a time like this.

"It's the same here. This guy Banes took over my division. Changed focus from biotic implants to human augmentation and my handler didn't say boo." Jeremy paused, seemingly mulling it over. "I don't know though, Major. Sure things are changing, but is your guy trustworthy?"

"My handler's an Alliance colonel completely removed from this mess with nothing to gain by misleading us. I trust him." Elena assured, thankful that Jeremy also came forward with some troubling news.

"Okay, back up." Selina held her palms up and motioned as if to wipe this all away. "If your source is Alliance, has he said anything about what they're planning to do if we really are compromised?" Selina asked with wide curious eyes.

And here we go from bad to worse, Elena thought morbidly. "Kahoku tried bringing it to Alliance high command. Their strategy so far is to continue denying Cerberus' existence."

The murmur of outrage rose but was quickly stamped by Mark's fist hitting the table. "Settle down. It's not the Major's fault and there's nothing we can do about that."

Xiang only shook her head mockingly as if they were all morons. "We're deniable assets. Did you seriously expect any different?"

"What I expect is for The Alliance to get their shit together and figure out what's going on," Jeremy grumbled as he wiped the beer residue from his trimmed dark beard. "I say they find the guy in charge, bring him in and figure this out?"

"The only problem is that nobody knows the guy in charge," Elena replied. "They have him codenamed as the Illusive Man but that's it. Given whatever coup likely took place, it's hard to say if the current Illusive Man is the one we've all been answering to, or a usurper." That line of thinking unsettled her but at the moment it was god's honest truth, that and a sign to get out of dodge fast. Their orders came through a series of handler transactions and direct divisional orders passed form Alliance high command. Nobody questioned them so there was no way to tell when they were tainted, if at all. Still**,** she trusted Kahoku, not to mention her own gut. They needed to secure their research data until someone in high command woke up and cleaned house.

She didn't know how Cerberus worked overall, but here on Ontarom**,** Operatives worked in tiers. The higher tiered officers controlled separate divisions and were responsible for their group of Operatives. Judging from what Jeremy said, he was no longer tier six like the rest of them. That would make securing data from his biological department a lot more difficult.

Elena waved her omni-tool, instructing the others to activate theirs. When the transfer was complete four blank faces awaited an explanation.

Selina skimmed hers fast as her large hazel eyes grew in fascination. "Looks like..."

"...Source code," Jeremy guessed and took another swig as he scrutinized the data on holo display at his arm. Selina's nod confirmed they were on the same page.

"No. It's has an override" Mark's concentrated gaze grew harder as he studied the numbers. "Major, I don't understand?"

Only Jin Xiang was content in her findings with a small smirk playing at her lips. "What's not to get? She just gave us the master keys. Our data goes portable now." That devil grin grew. "I have to report you."

The annoying little bitch strikes again.

The others weren't so quick to judge as their hopeful looks settled back to Elena, almost pleading for a 'gotcha, just kidding!' moment. Cerberus officers had limited time in contact with their research. Every day, access to each division lab was restricted to eight hours and fifteen seconds per officer to ensure good work ethic. For security purposes, nothing could be taken out of the lab, data, notes, . Everyone was scanned on their way in and out of the lab. If you were caught with the slightest shred of data, it was a week in the sensory deprivation chamber unless your handler needed you for a vital mission. In that case punishment would commence after it. With tight parameters**,** Cerberus officers were encouraged to work fast and make progress while their time for innovation trickled by. Any operatives who broke regs had a date in the sensory deprivation chamber before an interrogation and a panel determined your future with Cerberus. The same went for anyone who witnessed and failed to report said breach.

Partial guilt of putting them in this position made her want to withdraw right then and there. But they were in it this far, and it was the right thing to do.

"Ma'am, you're putting us in a tight spot here," Jeremy said, his gruff voice bringing her out of her reverie.

"I know," Elena said, feeling better now that it was finally over. Or just beginning**,** depending on how you looked at it. "This bypass will allow you to upload the data to your grey boxes. I want all of you to gather as much research as you can and get it to The Alliance."

"You want us to steal classified experiments and give them back to the people who hired us?" Selina reasoned, looking at her like she was crazy. Poor kid, everyone knew how much Cerberus meant to the young officer.

"No. I want you to keep your research safe from whatever splinter group infiltrated us." Elena reached into her bag and grabbed four data chips loaded with new identities. "You can't radio for a simple pick up. The Alliance is purging everything that has so much as a Cerberus logo. It's a shadow war, no tanks or heavy artillery, just people trying to kill you on both sides."

"When did you try?" Mark asked, putting two and two together and realizing she tried to contact the Alliance on her own. Judging by his hard expression he was not happy with her risky gamble.

"I didn't believe Kahoku at first so I tried to contact a pick up myself.," Elena explained to the benefit of the others around the table. "I sent a distress signal from my apartment. They stormed the place within one hour and ransacked the entire apartment in search of my research. They weren't Alliance so that means our communications were intercepted."

Elena willed herself to be strong as the weight of what just happened finally hit the small group. Mark looked away, probably digging for some logical explanation. But alas he remained silent much to her dismay. Jeremy couldn't sit still and started tapping his can as if he wanted a top-up. Selina looked like someone gave her a part in the school play that she loathed. Only Xiang looked composed and unreadable. Her beady black eyes with barely contained malice and glee started to unnerve Elena.

"Get your work to high command and only high command," Elena said.

"Why high command?" Jeremy challenged, eyeing his omni-tool with a jaded expression as he took another drink. Probably the last one judging from the clang that sounded as he set the can down.

"It's the only level of Alliance that I can see accepting our evidence," Elena stated simply. "Trust me, if I had another choice I wouldn't put you in this position." Everyone avoided her gaze so she settled on Xiang in challenge. "Report me if you like, but I've already hidden my data. You should too, especially if you understand what it means to be a soldier in this position."

"It means following orders and _not_ going rogue," Jin Xiang said matter-of-factly, studying her perfectly manicured red nails as if this entire meeting was a waste of her precious time.

"No," Elena countered. Despite her talents this 'top operative' didn't know the first thing about what it meant to wear the uniform. "Being a soldier means protecting people. We need to make sure our hard work doesn't fall into terrorist hands."

Selina deactivated her omni-tool and looked up, her eagerness wavered but at least it was there. "So what's our plan?"

Elena shook her head slowly, wishing she had a more concrete one for them. "There's only one plan. Run fast, run far. Stay away from public transit and make your way to Alliance High Command with your research. Forget Arcturus Station, go straight to Earth where you'll have witnesses."

"Quite the task," Mark admitted, but something in his eyes showed resolve. "I don't like it. But if what you're saying is true, I'll do it."

Jeremy nodded in agreement as gripped the can with both hands. "Fuck it. They gave my lab to a lunatic. I'm in."

Closing her eyes in concentration, Elena called forth her dark energy and felt it travelling up her spine, enveloping her in blue power. With one swift move, the can sailed from Jeremy's hands to hers.

Elena felt better for his support, but there was still the problem of him having even less access now. "Do you need help getting into your division, Jeremy?" Elena asked, holding the can for inspection. There was about a drop left.

"I'll be fine. They're still clocking me for eight hour access, I'll be in and out in no time," Jeremy assured.

Selina gave one last moment of hesitation before eventually agreeing. "This is serious. I'll do it, but if you're wrong, Major..."

"I'll take full responsibility," Elena reassured. That got her in and left only the vindictive Jin Xiang to decide. From the look on her face, they could all save their breath.

Jin shook her head slowly before rising smoothly like the viper that she is. "I'll give you all a head start," she said, heading for the doors. "Make the most of it."

**o~O~o **

_**Location: New Thebes, Capitol Colony of planet Anhur.**_

_**2182**_

_**Present day**_

Waves sloshed against the sandy shore, the sound mixing with that of happy children, barking dogs and yelps of summer joy. It was the perfect morning for carefree people, but just another day on the run for Elena Flores.

Standing on the artificial wood of her suite's fourth story balcony, she allowed herself to feel the sun's rays for the first time in six months. Darkness made it harder for the drones to make an ID back on Ontarom so it was easier to move at night. She was careful to hide her trail, travelling as a stowaway on industrial ships and making good use of her fake passports. Being found wasn't exactly high up on her to-do list.

Thankfully the majority batarian residents of New Thebes liked their privacy and kept their skies free of drones during the day. That meant living like a human being was back in the picture.

Sipping her drink Elena took in the view from her penthouse suite. People and **b**atarians below, endless horizon ahead and blue skies above. But she knew way too much about what went on above that sky to buy into its deception.

The post-rebellion economic depression made everything dirt cheap, so sleeping in top of the line accommodations for a fraction of the credits made it hard to leave this little rock...especially since it was a Cerberus free haven.

Pushing away from the railing she stepped back inside.

There was no use dwelling on what Cerberus was doing up in deep space. Who took over her station? Who was trying to recreate her sick experiments? It didn't matter now. Memories of her own involvement made her sick, but now wasn't the time to feel sorry for herself. Now was the time to get moving and warn the Alliance.

Space travel was extremely difficult without covert clearance from Cerberus but a steady stream of greedy batarian smugglers were slowly transporting her closer to the sol system with each jump. It wasn't the most efficient mode of transport but it was getting her closer to Earth. She only hoped the others found similar luck.

The others...Jeremy, Selina, Jin...Mark. Their faces flashed before her eyes, reminding her of the unforgiving truth. She led them into this hell and left them to their own devices. _So much for leadership._

If Kahoku heard he'd probably try to make her feel better, saying foolish things like they had no choice but to split up. On the other hand she could see her old mentor Oleg Petrovsky being very disappointed. The man lived and died on the 'you don't leave a man behind' mantra. As idealistic as it sounded at the time, she understood why he held it to such high regard. What was the point of living and doing this job if you couldn't save a single person?

Needing a reprieve from second guessing her decision, Elena secured her Harpy heavy pistol in its hidden holster under her shoulder. Collecting what little she had, Elena clamped the sleek suitcase shut.

With one last look at the luxurious dwelling she sighed and headed for the door. Maybe when all this was over there would be time to live like a normal person. A house, lawn, porch...husband. She smiled, all those things she and Dana made fun of as kids suddenly seemed comforting...at least a hell of a lot better than this.

Putting all dreams aside, she opened the door and gasped.

Mark Kassel was leaning against the doorway, dripping with blood from head to toe and cradling his left arm which stuck out at an odd angle. Their eyes met and he smiled before collapsing into a growing pool of his own blood at her feet.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Location: Outskirts of Endeavor colony, Ontarom –Elena Flores' residence.**_

_**Year 2182 **_

For a new colony, this particular apartment felt old. Instead of standard atmospheric grade steel, the designers of Ontarom thought it was Earthy enough for concrete materials. They were wrong.

The sand, rain and lightning storms took their toll on the mortar and now the building was well on its way to being condemned. Thankfully it was the only of one of its kind next to the more modern living blocks across the sparse sand dunes. This was very much the 'under development' quarter of the new colony.

"A nice one that girl," Mrs. Ortega, the old resilient land lady, said as she led the way to Elena's apartment unit. "Always pays her rent on time. Never a complaint about her."

Liam was only half listening. The walls had his attention, every crack was perfect for a sensor or camera but so far he saw nothing. The air was heavy with the stench of sweat, piss and garbage that he wondered momentarily if this was really the right place. It was hard to imagine a low life merc living here, let alone a Cerberus officer.

The lights flickered, unable to decide if they were on or off as they finally stopped at her door. Unit 117 gleamed in the low light, reflecting Mrs. Ortega's omni-tool as she raised a wrinkled hand to activate it.

Liam grabbed Mrs. Ortega's hand before she could wave her omni-tool over the door's keypad. The land lady gave him a questioning look. "You said you're with the base?" she asked casually, as if people grabbed her all the time.

"Yes, just a friend." Liam let her go and activated his credentials with a flick of the wrist. "I'll take it from here, thanks."

The gears were slow to move but eventually something akin to suspicion finally made its way to her features. "Is she in trouble?"

"No. Her birthday's coming up soon, I thought I'd surprise her," Liam said, resisting the urge to draw his pistol and move past her towards the door. The last thing he needed was a terrified nosey civilian in possible crossfire. "We just need some privacy."

Mrs. Ortega nodded knowingly. "I thought so. You're too handsome to be just a friend."

Liam played up the slight sheen of embarrassment as she passed him by with a twinkle of happiness, no doubt ready to share the news with everyone who had ears.

When she rounded the corner he drew the paladin and moved in.

The spartan apartment made his standard living quarters on X-19 look royal. There was no real threshold, any guest would find themselves right inside the living room after crossing the door. Hearing the swish of the entrance closing, he waved his omni-tool and sealed it shut behind him. Not in the mood for company.

It was a bachelor pad so there wasn't much in the way of a living room. A cheap black couch with bits of leather peeling off was set in front of an old 21st century plasma TV. The raggedy red carpet didn't look to be hiding any mines, but he steered clear nonetheless and moved further in.

Slowly prowling around the small apartment, Liam checked each window spanning the kitchen and leading into the bedroom for bugs. The adrenaline rush of securing a hostile zone eventually wore off when he cleared the makeshift bedroom, sectioned off from the rest of the apartment by removable walls.

There was nothing.

The whole place was bare, except for a few appliances, bedding and furniture. Either she took a vow of poverty or this place was already picked clean, likely by Cerberus.

Lowering the pistol, he double backed to the bedroom. The respectable dresser still had every drawer on its hinges. Inspecting the fine wood coated with a thick layer of dust, he opened the top drawer, moving all the way down to the bottom. All of them slid smoothly and all were empty. He backed away, frowning at the scene.

When a top secret organization threatened kill you**, **forget clothes and food, all that mattered was mobility. 'Keep moving' as the Villa instructors loved to stress. A forged ID, credits and a weapon were the required travel documents for any good contingency plan. Every infiltrator knew that so it only made sense operatives for a top secret branch would follow the same line of thinking.

Yet, Elena's drawers were empty. More than that, they were in meticulously good condition. No one ripped them from the dresser in haste and no one scuffed the lacquered finish in their hurry to run.

The closet was the same. Nothing there but dust, not even scratch marks from the hangars. Either Major Flores planned her defection in advance or Cerberus...no. He wiped the thick layer of dust from the hanging rod. Nobody had been here since Elena left. Which he guessed happened right after Kahoku received the message.

Slowly backing away he stared at the weird scene. It made sense for Cerberus to grab her at work or failing that, wait for her to come home and retrieve her belongings. But it didn't look like they caught her here and let her pack before taking her away...unless…

Rushing back to the entrance Liam stared in horror at the miniscule blinking red light atop the doorway. Acting on impulse, he sent a quick surge of overload at the object and dove into the apartment hallway, shielding himself from the impending blast.

A moment passed.

Then another.

Getting up, he brushed the dirt from himself and cautiously approached the doorway again. Waving his omni-tool, he scanned the contraption and found the wire connecting the blinking sensor to the C4 buried into the door's panel. The wire was connected to a blown fuse and that's why he wasn't breaking bread with the big guy right now.

He collapsed against the wall, sinking to the floor as relief flooded over his being. _Stupid rookie mistake..._

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Cuddy's restaurant, Endeavor colony, Ontarom **_

_**Year 2182 **_

Nothing beat breakfast at Cuddy's, the only decent place to get a beer and burrito before noon in Endeavor. Other shops followed the ridiculous no alcohol until twelve ban, some took it further and didn't sell it at all. It was the colony's latest overreaction to some vandals: less booze, less crime.

Yeah right.

He watched one of the cute waitresses sashay her way past him. They had the best service around here. This little kiosk right at Endeavor's center attracted all walks of life. From business men glued to their omni-tools, to the cute kids having a date in the far corner, everyone loved a meal here. It was the only restaurant around built on an open concept. No stuffy walls and cold steel, just a few palm pillars, a roof and viola.They had the perfect hut to eat under, safe from the sun's rays but perfect in its natural atmosphere.

Jeremy took another swig of his tasty illegal beer. Didn't matter what bans you put on the stuff, people would always get a hold of it and keeping it away from them was like dangling a hanky doused in gasoline over a firepit. Civilian politics never made much sense, Alliance wasn't any better until they transferred him to Cerberus.

These people weren't bound by ridiculous government restrictions or bureaucratic bullshit, they gave him his resources and backed the fuck off. Pure heaven at the time. Now the former tier six operative was stuck chugging beer and hiding out in a developing human colony while waiting for this Cerberus threat to blow over.

Plans for L4 implants along with his pet project Phoenix were still mobile in his gray box. Being able to fall asleep while reading his notes was the sweetest dream that ever came true. Finally, there was no twelve hour separation between accessing his research, it was available to him all the time and he was free to actually get something done! It would've been great if not for one annoying thing—it's been six months and no one was coming. Hemade off with ground breaking research and nothinghappened. No splinter groups, no assassins, nothing.

He knew he hid his tracks well but he was no fool. He was a biotic-tech researcher**,** not a master spy. They were bound to find out that their data was missing eventually. Yet here he was celebrating six months of living on the run, and by on the run he meant hiding right under their noses in a colony only hours away from Cerberus' underground research facility. It was almost insulting. Did they really think so little of his work that they wouldn't send a single operative to try and take it back?

Chomping down on a burrito he watched all the clueless civilians going about their daily lives, happy in their ignorance. Smiling, he tried to imagine life as a regular, one of those carefree folks who didn't have to worry about their workplaces being infiltrated or shit blowing up.

Smearing his greasy hands on a nearby napkin he stopped smiling. No, he wouldn't trade his life for another. Cutting edge tech, Cerberus funding, nothing beat the total freedom they gave and he was aching to get it all back.

Flores was a good officer but this time she was probably just overreacting. A real splinter group would've picked him off by now.

A micro-field of energy pulsed across his arm. Nearly dropping his burrito, he recovered when he realized it was just his omni-tool, still cloaked but sending out a notification.

He did a quick sweep for suspicious faces and found none. Waving the tool to life he nearly spat out the chunks of meat grinding between his molars.

The silent alarm was activated.

Shortly after his tier split, he made sure to bug Elena's room as a precaution. It's not that he didn't trust her but he wanted to be sure there were people really after them. She didn't mind, but only asked that he had his ass well off planet after that night.

Feeling guilty for not following through on his end, Jeremy abandoned his food and rushed in the direction of the sky tram terminals. If nothing else, at least getting a positive ID of their spooks would help the others avoid them.

o~O~o

_**Location: Briefing room, Cerberus Frigate 'Albatross', drifting the outer orbit of the Newton System in stealth mode.**_

Petrovsky watched with pride as his two most trusted officers scrutinized the ridiculous mission briefing. The Illusive Man cleared Banes to hunt down the tier six operatives, but although he issued a no kill policy, Petrovsky didn't believe Banes would actually hold his end of the deal.

"I do not understand. Why clear this now? Six months after the fact, surely they are either dead or defected to the black market," Sveta said with a hint of her Russian accent intact, looking up from the profile with accusatory eyes. She was always a quick one.

"These operatives hold top secret plans. They've had time to sell, destroy or bring them to the Alliance and they have not done so. That tells us they're very comfortable where they are," Petrovskyreplied in a tone that let them know he agreed but had no choice.

"Or they are dead," Dimitri said, adding his own glare to the mix while cleaning a part of his Volkov X sniper rifle. The Russian marksman was the best Petrovsky had the pleasure of serving with. There was no one better to trust with your back than Dima.

"We are holding onto the hope that they are not," Petrovskysaid.

"What is worse is that you want us to work with Banes," Sveta said, pushing her datapad away. "This mission is too delicate for his temper. You want us to persuade defectors, you need someone more...persuasive."

Dima's mouth twitched into a slight smile as his dark eyes sparked with lust beneath the shaggy curls of his hair. "Like Miranda."

Sveta's only reply was an eyeroll.

The two were like fire and ice. Dima was the calm one while Sveta liked to forge ahead and make progress. Both were driven but their drive came at the cost of their Alliance blues. Thankfully Cerberus knew their usefulness.

The General looked between his two operatives. Sure this Miranda had a reputation for being the best, but other comrades regarded her as standoffish and the last thing he needed was yet another loose cannon on his ship. Banes was enough trouble already.

"We trade Banes for Miranda? I'm in," Dima declared, putting a piece of his dismantled rifle down.

Petrovsky looked to Sveta, expecting an objection but surprised to see agreement.

"At least with her I don't worry about a mad man," Sveta said as she flicked the long single braid of her brown hair back.

Considering his words carefully Petrovsky took his time. Sure he could petition to have Banes transferred and replaced with this Miranda, but he didn't like testing the Illusive Man's patience**, **especially since Banes already felt like his responsibility. Petrovsky was too proud a man to just pass his troubles down the chain of command. That's what those varren back on Earth did and he was not one of them.

"We work with Banes," Petrovsky said, leaving no room for argument. Dima and Sveta were too loyal to say anything further, another thing he respected.

A loud cackle at the door confirmed his earlier suspicions of Banes listening to this meeting, but he let it go. There was peace of mind in knowing he wasn't terrorizing the other crew at this time.

"Look at that, Ivan. I ask for a ground team and you give your left and right arm," Banes said, striding to sit next to Sveta and put a glowing blue arm over her shoulders. But his operative was far toodisciplined to do anything but stare him down. "I like his attitude. Don't you Svetlana?"

Dima watched with hooded eyes, as he re-assembled his rifle. Those who didn't know him well, assumed all the shaggy hair falling over his eyes would obscure his marksmanship. Petrovsky was lucky enough to see them all proven wrong.

Now was the best time to diffuse tension. "Banes, operatives Timoshenko and Aramov will assist you—"

"Cut the titles there, Ivan." Petrovsky could see Sveta debating whether or not to break Banes' arm. "Sveta and Dima, we're one big happy family, aren't we darling?" Banes inquired as his feral eyes glanced between them.

He was on enhancementsagain, there was no doubt. Without test subjects he proceeded his earlier experiments on himself. The Illusive Man warned him about that and also warned him to observe but not intervene. After all, if Banes killed himself there would still be a lot to learn from his body.

"We work for _Lieutenant-General _Petrovsky," Svetlana stated firmly, inches away from Bane's face as he held her close. She didn't show any discomfort. Emotions like that were useless if not deadly in front of an enemy, Petrovsky remembered teaching her that one.

"Forgive me," Banes replied with a grin while attempting to draw her into his lap.

Sveta lashed out, slamming his shoulder joint with full force. It would've dislocated from the socket in a normal man, but Banes only laughed as she recoiled, cradling her fist.

Dima was up with his side weapon, when Petrovsky yelled, "ENOUGH!"

"Do it!" Banes beckoned, pushing Sveta away and rising to the point of Dima's sights. "Come on Mr. Marksman, I'm dying to test ballistics. Do it."

"Weapon down, Aramov," Petrovsky ordered, clamping a fist over the barrel and wrenching Dima's rifle down.

Banes slowly shook his head, unable to contain his malicious glee. His muscled arms strained the openings in his torn-sleeve dress suit. Thick unnatural veins flowed over the sides now, they were not there before. He was definitely experimenting again.

"What have you gone and done with yourself, Armistan?" Petrovsky asked, forgetting the golden rule.

"Progress!" Banes, rubbed his arms, showing them off for display. "Overdid the power. An easy fix. Nothing to worry about." Switching from Dima to Sveta who hadn't moved from her rage laden seat he said, "We're close to Ontarom now, strap your belts kids we're going to have some fun."

With another hollow laugh, Banes strode away, leaving them to his carnage. He didn't have to look at Sveta to feel her hard boiled gaze.

"He's not well," Dima said, putting words to everyone's thoughts.

Petrovsky agreed but this was their reality now. "We work with him."

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Firebase Dagger, Ontarom.**_

Firebase Dagger's satellite fields didn't have rooms so they had to make due and find a space free of cables, techs and eager ears. That place was opposite the Array Control and out ofsun's reach.

The techs dubbed it The Dark Side.

Despite its ominous name the dark side offered shade. That was enough to warrant a meeting while the crew unloaded on a platform below.

All things said and done he was impressed and happy that they managed to land the Dub so close to the station. The ship would offer great orbital defence against any air strikes while the 180 person ground crew had no trouble securing a tight perimeter, effectively beefing security to Alliance level standards.

Even now he could see the ten portable platforms that would serve as temporary outposts. The jarheads ran cables up to the flood lights that would illuminate the hungry mouth of the rainforest at night.

"A bug?" Captain Flores inquired.

Liam nodded in confirmation, leaning over the rails studying the hurried workers below. "I disabled it. But there's a chance the signal went through." He could see the tension in her shoulders remain long after her exhale. A pang of guilt washed over him. "I'm sorry—"

"Were— were there any leads on Elena?" The uncharacteristic hitch in her voice didn't go unnoticed. For the short time he'd known her, Captain Flores displayed the uncanny ability to make everything sound decisive and strong, like an order. But her latest question begged for reassurance.

Unable to speak, he rode the wave of emotions surging to the fore. Maybe it was instinct. Or maybe it was the beginning of heat stroke. But the resurgence of emotions he thought were long dead screamed at him to say something comforting.

But nothing came.

"Commander?" Her authorities voice grounded him. A flash of concern in her brown eyes brought him back.

"There was no sign of her," he said slowly giving his mind time to get back with the program. "But the place suggests she had time to pack. It's a good bet she's still on the run." It was the best he could offer without lying.

Captain Flores looked away and scrutinized the satellite fields around them. He could understand. After all if Fi or John were missing the last thing he'd want to do is guard some satellite farm.

"I'm going back tonight," he said, trying to give her some hope.

She turned on him sharply. "Forget it. That location is compromised now."

"Exactly. If Cerberus is involved they'll check on the place," Liam explained, trying to give her hope without sounding phony. It seemed to be working as she listened intently. "Nabbing an agent might get us some leads on your sister or at least the circumstances around her defection."

Gently running a hand through her shoulder length hair she paced their small space, considering her options.

Deciding to sell the perfect opening he added, "I set an alarm of my own. It'll let me know when Cerberus decides to check in." Liam gestured, activating his omni-tool and showing her the alarm status which showed green. No breaches, so far.

Flores leaned over to study the indicator. The soft strands of her hair teased his neck, but he didn't say a word, trying to remain focused. He could sense her doubts about his new sensor, but it was the only good news he had and they both knew it was worth the risk.

A small cough drew their attention.

A young female Alliance tech snapped to attention with a salute before offering a stream of apologies. "I'm sorry, Captain Flores, Commander Shepard. I...didn't mean to interrupt."

When they didn't respond in kind she looked nervously between them. They must've given the wrong impression to this young woman, standing so close in a secluded area. Shaking the effects of being caught off guard, he returned the salute.

"At ease," Flores said, dropping her own salute. "You are?"

"Comm. Specialist Traynor, Ma'am." The girl looked ready to disappear under Flores' gaze. "Colonel Brock wanted a word with you up on the control array," Traynor explained.

"He's here?" Flores inquired, as something in her tone belayed disgust.

"Yes Ma'am, I can show you the way," Traynor offered, motioning forward.

Captain Flores returned her attention to him. "Find Preston. See if he needs any help."

"Understood," Liam complied. He could see then tension build in her shoulders even through her armor.

But the nervous tech cut through again. "Um..."

"What is it, Traynor?" Captain Flores asked irritably. Her body language changed and the calm veneer was nowhere to be found. Either news of Elena hit her hard or she had some kind of history with this Colonel.

Traynor shuddered and looked down in embarrassment. "Forgive me, Captain. But...he wants to see Commander Shepard as well.

"We'll be right there, Traynor. I know where it is," Liam said, giving her the perfect exit. She seemed grateful and saluted before scurrying away up the ramp.

Flores started to follow, but he called to her. "We'll get your sister back, ma'am."

"I know," Flores said with finality, putting the subject to rest. "This is something else. Brock and I tend to butt heads. He'll try to boss you around just to piss me off." She continued onwards adding over her shoulder with a weak smile, "Do me a favor and indulge the poor bastard."

There was no escaping politics no matter where you went. Relieved, Liam fought the beginnings of a smile. He was happy to know there was something he could do to cheer her up in the meantime, "Gladly."

**A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews guys! They're really motivating and totally make my day. I do want to clear some things up though, Vega is not an infiltrator. Sorry if I've given that impression but he only transferred over with Liam he's not part of his original squad. Vega is an arms master (quartermaster in our speak).**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay. Thank you guys for sticking with me this long and leaving wonderful reviews.  
They really are the fuel for this writer's soul!**

* * *

_**Location: Carte Blanche hotel—New Thebes, Capitol Colony of planet Anhur.**_

Tearing the last pack, Elena carefully applied the medi-gel over Mark's singed rib-cage. They found out long ago that infusing it with a light biotic touch made the gel activate quicker and dry faster. Cerberus chose to keep the discovery hidden, but right now Elena was just thankful they even taught the art of healing based on this finding.

Trailing a finger down his stubbly cold cheek she pushed all other thoughts aside and studied the handsome man fate was nice enough to return to her. She liked this new rugged version. Mark was always clean shaven and adhered to all Cerberus military grooming standards. Not that she didn't appreciate those but seeing something new was a treat. His jet black hair was a bit longer now, reaching past his ears but no further and the stubble would likely harden those bright blue eyes of his. Smoothing his hair away from his forehead, Elena lingered at his bedside. Trailing a hand along his forearm she found his and squeezed lightly. Mark had to wake up, he just had to. And not because they needed to get away but...god dammit it'sbeen too long since that night at her apartment.

Mark was still out cold and showed no reaction to the contact. Only the steady pulse at his neck kept her from flipping out with panic.

Elena's stomach clenched at the matrix of charred and bleeding flesh as she peeled the remains of his phasic vest away. It took the brunt of the assault and probablysaved his life. Stripping it away completely**,** she held it up and studied the holes.

The multiple angles of trajectory suggested more than one attacker. But the grouping was too wide to imply Cerberus. If this was their work, local police would've found Mark with a perfect symmetrical hole between his eyes, not a body full of evidence. She let the vest slide to the floor where it fell atopMark's equally tattered leather jacket.

The pet sized robotic vacuum that cleaned hallways started whirling around the pile and sucked blood from the carpet. Thankfully it followed Mark to her door and ate his blood trail. But Elena knew it would have to spend the rest of its life cycle cleaning the ocean floor. If a maintenance tech opened it up and found blood inside, they were done for.

Finishing her handiwork she tossed the spent packages aside and watched as the gel radiated with dark energy. The flesh around the grazes tightened, slowly sealing shut before her eyes.

Elena`s hands hovered over the wounds, careful not to disturb them but wanting desperately to re-assure herself that this wasn`t some cruel dream. The plan was to stay as far apart as possible and avoid giving Cerberus a two for one deal. It made sense. They all agreed on that, so why was he here? What happened?

A knock echoed from the door.

Training kicked in as Elena snagged her Harpy heavy pistol, a parting memento from Cerberus' armory, and cautiously approached the door. She wasn't expecting anyone and made sure all front desk managers knew that beforehand. A spare bullet in a simple employee would only bring more trouble.

"Who is it?" She called out, approaching the peephole.

The womanon the other end was dressed in a red hotel uniform with a cart of a hidden spread and a bottle of champagne in a bucket. "Room service, Ms. Creed."

"I didn't order any room service," Elena said. Probably a simple mistake—only problem was nothing was simple these days and that woman likely tracked Mark in here. Her fingers tightened around the Harpy's grip. "You have the wrong room."

"No it's right number. See I have bill here, room 223. Ms. Creed," the woman replied repeating the name 'Evelyn Creed' that Elena gave to front desk. "Look, I need to hurry. Please accept, it's paid for already."

That set of warning bells. "Who paid for it?" Elena asked. Cold hands settled on her shoulders from behind, making her jump as she whirled on the intruder jamming the Harpy's barrel into his bare chest.

"Nice young man, blue eyes, don't leave a name." The woman replied from the other end but Elena wasn't listening as she stared at the real blue eyed man in front of her wearing nothing but his jeans.

Pain, anger, relief and regret hit her at once when he gave her one of his carefree smiles as if all was good with the world. Without thinking she leapt into his arms, letting the pistol clang to the ground, as she ran a hand through his hair and wrapped the other beneath his shoulder.

"Hey," he said, sounding both exhausted and relieved but the raw quality of his voice failed to mask the obvious pain he was in. Elena wanted to kick herself as she instantly stepped back but his arms around her waist didn't let her go far.

"Shit! I'm sorry," Elena stammered, trying to smooth the globs of gel she displaced.

Mark shook his head dismissively before snagging her hand and kissing the palm. "Don't worry."

"Excuse me, I leave cart here?" the woman on the other side asked, ready to book it. "Hello?"

Elena grabbed her pistol but Mark was already reaching for the door before she could tug him back. He spoke to the woman and wheeled the dinner tray in. Watching the easy exchange she holstered her pistol and rubbed the worry from her eyes. A good meal was better than a gun fight any day.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Firebase Dagger, control array—Ontarom.**_

To say the control array was in control would've been a lie. Techs jumped from one screen to the other, coordinating with the marines down below as they set up defense measures near the satellite fields. The techs around themmoved so fast that it was safe to say some were using biotics to cover the tight quarters.

One would think these guys were ambitious, but any mildly competent person would pick up the pace, especially when the boss was on deck and breathing down everyone's neck.

It only took a glimpse of Colonel Brock's ramrod posture and clasped hands behind his backto make Liam see red. _Someone actually promoted him!_

Brock turned to greet his _guests _with a crooked smile that would make Hades look charming. Brock's severe military cutand harsh jowls aged him. Brock may have looked imposing to the techs under his command, but Liam wasn't buying his bullshit. The Colonel never came back from the blitz, he could see that much in his hardened eyes.

"Dana." He didn't even look her way before stepping toe to toe with him, just tempting a punch. "And Shepard. It's been a long time."

"It has," Shepard answered coolly, fighting hard to appear relaxed and not rise to the bait of Brock's condescending tone. Of all the Brocks in the Alliance, it was just his luck that they were stuck with the incompetent one.

A few nearby techs stalled and looked their way. But one glare from Brock made them whip back to their screens. Probably thankful that the Colonel had moved on to micro-manage someone else.

"You called us here for a reason?" Captain Flores asked. If she was annoyed at Brock's attitude, she didn't show it. He couldn't help but call karma from the way shetreated Hackett, but at the same time Brock didn't have any right to be callous.

Liam crossed his arms and looked between them, trying to read the waters while yanking the chain on his anger.

Brock took a step back and addressed Liam, ignoring her completely now. "X-19 is lovely this time of year."

"I'll put a good word in for you. They always need someone to press the buttons," Liam said, getting that feeling of all eyes on him. A few snickers and knowing looks made their rounds.

"You were always a comedian, Shepard." Colonel Brock allowed a mirthless laugh that made his hard jowls quake, sort of like those bulldogs back on Earthhis sister loved to make fun of. "I was expecting the Eighth Fleet. Not the Dublin. Did the Admiral send you, Shepard? His favorite dog."

_Not you. _Was the hidden connotation Liam picked up on but refused to play his games. "I think my Captain asked a question." He allowed a smirk of his own. "_Sir_."

"I think so too," Brock said in a tone fit for describing the weather. "But here I am, asking _you_ a question. What the hell are you doing on my planet, Shepard?"

"Colonel." The warning in Captain Flores' voice was enough to finally earn her a glance. "My crew is ready. If you have orders for us we're here. If not, we got a job to do."

Her distraction worked and Brock took a step in her direction. "You finally remembered my rank, Dana."

Liam gave her credit for holding herground as the colonel sized her up. All Alliance soldiers knew this bulldog of a man was also a sexist pig. But his last name made him royalty and there was nothing Alliance high command wouldn't do to keep his prestige. He was going straight to the top even if it meant feeding his subordinates to X-19 in order to hide his own incompetence.

Thankfully Brock never used his strong physique to its fullest potential. This idiot never left the gym and therefore hadn't seen a real battlefield all his life. Unlike in James case, the bulk on Brock was just for show.

"Colonel Brock, sir!" One of the senior techs waved Brockover to his screen dangling a cigar from his mouth. Brock didn't seem to mind. This particular tech who had the most screens in the array and likely the most respect from the Colonel.

A thread of pain reverberated through his skull and Liam resisted the urge to clutch his head. The smell of smoke filled him as the sensation of sand mixed with sweat grazed his neck.

"_Sir? Sir we need orders, what do we do?" the young soldier asked, staring down at his shell shocked superior on the floor. _

_Brock rocked back and forth pathetically, huddled in a corner where civilians wouldn't see him. Liam looked around frantically, trying to find a way out. _

_Another mortar shook the warehouse to its foundation. The east wall toppled and buried everyone in a mix of dust. _

"_Get him up." Liam tapped the young soldier on the shoulder and motioned to Brock. "We need to move out. I'm taking point. Get ready to lead the civilians out of here."_

"_Yes...yes sir!" _

"Is everything alright sir?" The soft voice brought him back. Liam met the concerned eyes of Comm. Specialist Traynor as she stood next to him with a datapad.

He whipped back to Flores and Brock who were in some heated discussion about god knows what at this point. The staff was oblivious, working faster and barking instructions out the window to the crew below.

He could feel sweat trickling down the side of his face but forced himself to fight the accompanying shiver and give Traynor his undivided attention.

It was hard to guess how long he hadspaced for, but after taking it all in Liam turned to Traynor who looked like she'd appreciate an answer. "I'm fine. What've you got there, Traynor?"

"I...didn't want to interrupt." She glanced to Flores and Brock who were now using sweeping hand gestures. Neither looked happy. "But there's a situation on Endeavor. A team of asariscientists are being held hostage."

It was hard to keep a straight face at the last bit. Leaning closer he pitched his voice low. "You're saying that _asari_ were taken hostage. Did I hear that right?"

Traynor only gave a helpless shrug to say 'I know' and offered the datapad as proof. Surely enough the live feed of a surveillance drone looked real.

"Do you know how hard I've worked to keep the peace on this colony? We have a good balance of civilian to military personnel. Your presence here will only upset that!" Brock yelled almost red in the face. Putting political interests before mission objectives,just like old times.

"Too late!" Liam called, making both officers turn eyes on him and Traynor. The poor girl almost shrunk back behind him when Brock stared her down as if she just sold his family secrets. "Looks like you have a situation on your hands, Brock."

The Colonel fumed at such an informal use of his name but Liam was done eating shit from this bureaucrat who thought playing atwar was the same as fighting one.

"What's going on?" Captain Flores asked with a frown. The glint of sunlight kissed her face and for a moment Liam forgot there was an angry colonel in their company.

Brock snatched the datapad from his grasp before he could answer. "I'm the one asking questions here."

"This _peaceful _colony is holding a group of asarihostage," Liam explained to his Captain completely ignoring the Colonel.

Captain Flores laughed and he couldn't help but smile at the beautiful sound. He hoped to hear more of it if they ever got to know eachother better. She struck him as someone who was down to earth despite the heavy burden of being in charge and it was a nice change from pricks like Brock. "What? They forgot they have biotics?" She asked.

"They appear to be scientists," Traynor spoke up, only to shrink back under another wave of Brock's intense gaze. "...usually known for their pacifist nature," she finished lightly.

Liam moved so that he was perfectly between them. Which felt like the equivalent of standing in front of an impending krogan stampede.

"Have they made any demands?" Captain Flores asked, looking at the datapad still in Brock's beefy hands. The colonel looked tempted not to answer and Liam shook his head in disgust.

"Yes, ma'am," Traynor spoke from behind Liam's shoulder. "They want the asarito leave the cataloguing and preservation of Ontarom's biodiversity to humans who are working for Heyuan Genomics."

"Seems safe to say they're threatened by aliens," Liam deduced, watching Flores to see what she made of it.

Captain Flores nodded but otherwise kept a cool head. "Typical ofan all human colony."

"Get back to monitoring their communications. If they make a peep I want to hear it," Brock ordered Traynor who complied and rushed off. The colonel looked ready to blow but managed to swallow the worst of it. "Shepard, go rescue the scientists. I want all of the kidnappers shot on sight as an example."

Liam couldn't help it and turned to his Captain. "Orders ma'am?"

"What!" Brock nearly had a hernia and it was hard not to smile when his eyes bulged.

"Go and rescue the hostages. Take Hunter, Gordon and Vega. I'll get Blitz to dig up intel on this group." Captain Flores ordered without sparing a glance to the Colonel's rising shade of red.

He whirled on Liam. "I gave you an order, Marine!"

"And I'm taking it up the chain of command to _my_ superior," Liam said casually, holding his ground. "You don't condone insubordination. Do you colonel?"

That silent threat shut him up as a wave of shared experience passed between them. Dismissed, Liam left the control array followed with quick pleased glances and nods of appreciation. For once the title of war hero actually came in handy.

Captain Flores appeared beside him. When they were safely out of earshot she studied him with a sideways glance. "I've never seen Brock lose his shit like that."

"Just following orders ma'am," Liam replied with a smile that faltered when he met Dana's contained fury. What the hell did he do now?

He stopped and she rounded on him. "But I asked you to play along, Shepard. Not piss him off."

"What are you talking about? The guy's an—," he began.

"Asshole," she seethed. "I know. Everyone does. So next time, do yourself a favor and follow my lead."

The Captain's intensity didn't leave much room for argument. It was also unexpected from someone who played it so casually back there. Then again wasn't this what she meant by indulging the bastard? Liam didn't like being used then reprimanded. "Are we done here?"

"You tell me," theCaptain said not giving an inch. She had balls**,** he gaveher that much. But there were innocent hostages that needed him to swallow his ego and save them.

He gave a cold crisp salute and didn't bother waiting for dismissal before leaving. Just another fucked up day at the office.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Slums district, Outskirts of Endeavor colony—Ontarom.**_

Slapping the bugs away, Jeremy hunkered down and peered through his binoculars. At this elevation he had the perfect vantage point atop the hills surrounding the Major's long abandoned apartment. The run-down living complex, that made homeless shelters look like the Ritz, was so damn quiet it was spooky. It also made bugging the entrance console a big joke. The damn thing had no firewalls and would easily tell him who accessed the place from now on. He wanted to kick himself for not doing it earlier, but running was top priority back then not surveillance.

Bringing his omni-tool online, he checked on the status of the image processing program. Elena was kind enough to let him rig a small surveillance cam in her drawer just before they all split up. It was supposed to give them an idea of who Cerberus sent after them, but the damn thing was too small and gave a grainy image of the recent lucky guest. The bastard somehow survived the booby trap, but it was no problem. Like rats, guys like him eventually came back.

Squashing the cicada feeding on his neck, Jeremy smiled. They'd be back, he knew it. After months of running from an unknown threat he was finally going to get a glimpse of who they were dealing on his elbows, he adjusted the cover atop the high powered Titan sniper rifle. Whatever scouting party Cerberus sent would get a new breathing orifice by dinner time.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Location: Mako, en-route to Endeavour colony—Warehouse district, Ontarom.**_

The Mako sped along the rocky terrain, letting everyone commit each bump to memory as they hung on for dear life. Liam tried keeping the holomap steady as Vega and Glen Gordon juggled their weapons and gear. The compartment had a capacity for ten people, but unless 'people' was slang for brooms Liam couldn't see how anyone else was meant to fit in here.

Another sudden dip bashed Glen's head against the hard steel roof.

"SHIT! Jesus Hunter who taught you how to drive?" Glen bellowed as he holstered his katana shotgun at his lower back.

"Come on Lieutenant, that was a nudge," Hunter replied with easy amusement in his voice. Safe speed was an option in the sparse warehouse district and the young chief decided to opt out. Liam would've told Hunter to slow down, but Glen's comical outbursts seemed to keep James from whatever doom and gloom been filling him lately. Some of the crew said Vega was practically glued to his new armory and didn't do much outside of that. Liam mentally reminded himself to check up on his fellow FNG.

"Keep this damn thing steady," Glen said as he regained his seat, massaging his shiny bald head. "I hate this."

"Hey, don't hate on the Mako," Vega said, checking the heat sink on his rifle. "It's better than the Kodiak coffin."

"A fridge on wheels is all it is," Gordon grumbled and slammed yet another mod to his backup pistol, "trade it for a coffin any day."

"I thought vanguards liked power?" Liam teased, as he marked their holo-map. Each critical position pulsed blue. "The Mako's cannon can punch through just about anything."

"The fuck we need a cannon for, Shepard?" Glen said, adjusting his pack and finally getting his weapons to stay on his belt. "This ain't no vid of the A-team. We're saving some useless bitches who forgot they had powers."

Liam and Vega burst out laughing. Gordon sulked but eventually allowed a smile. "Glad you two find this so funny."

"Keep an open mind," Liam said as he recovered and waved down their banter. Even though he agreed with Glen about their poor choice of transport, they still had a job to do. "Schematics show a patrol tower in the east wing. I'll secure a sniping post there."

He turned to Vega and accepted the mantis sniper rifle with some disappointment. Early morning target practice revealed that this old thing kicked like a horse and had the worst rate of cooldown. Yet with only four snipers aboard the ship the previous arms master didn't think it was necessary to bother with better equipment for just four soldiers. _Well now there's five._

The frame was feather light, stripped of all its early morning mods and outfitted with an extended barrel. Liam raised a questioning brow.

"All the other stuff overheats it faster, trust me loco. I kept the extended barrel to help with the recoil until we get you a better weapon," Vega explained, as he passed a medi-gel pack to Gordon. "Requisition says your Black Widow should be coming soon."

"Good," Liam said as he collapsed the weapon and clipped it to his back before returning to the map. "Vega, you'll take the south perimeter and see if you can enter the compound from there."

"You got it," James said with a nod.

"Gordon," Liam continued, "you take the front after Vega secures the back. I'll have you covered with sniper fire but from your files—"

"—I'll snap their necks in sixty seconds flat. Don`t worry." The Vanguard practically bounced from his seat when the Mako screeched to a stop. Everyone lurched forward.

Liam jumped down first, followed by Vega then Gordon. The warehouse district wasn't far from the base, he could still see its small outline on the horizon. The stench of metal and hard work wafted from the empty warehouses, reminding him of Elena's slum on the outskirts of Endeavor which was just a bit further. But it was short lived as heavy clouds rolled in. The winds picked up and Liam ducked the sand while wrenching his recon hood over his face.

Gordon disappeared in a biotic charge as he zapped to position and took cover, waiting on the first move. Vega crouched low and began circling the perimeter. The rumble of thunder warned him to keep moving and get this done right the first time.

"Hunter, you cover Gordon with the cannon. If anything goes wrong I need that door blasted clear," Liam ordered, peering into the Mako to catch the chief's nod. "Let's do this."

Slapping the back of the Mako he heard it rev like a wild horse before speeding away. Liam activated the tactical cloak. But of course the day wouldn't be complete without the threat of rain. Cursing the skies, Liam activated his cloak, huddled the rifle close to his chest and took off for the guard tower.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Hillside fields, Slums district warehouse/storage space—Endeavour colony, Ontarom.**_

Fucking rain. It poured buckets from the sky of this pisshole planet and if you were dumb enough to stand around, lightning would recharge your batteries. Knowing this, Jeremy had no choice but to gather his gear and find shelter. While the thought of posting an automaton to capture any foot traffic in and out of Elena's building was a good one, there was no time to actually set the damn thing up so it sat in his pack like a loaded brick.

Fumbling with the bundled rifle and his gear, he made it down in record time and inched closer to the citizen storage blocks. Apparently folks moving to Ontarom couldn't fit all their crap into the tiny ExoGeni designed apartments and had to petition for storage blocks to be added onto the property lane. Elena explained the ridiculousness of it all once, but he was too busy wondering why the Major wanted to live among citizens.

Cerberus had a wonderful underground facility here. The cabins were more like five star suites than any Alliance barracks he ever had and they all had easy access to the labs. It was fucking perfect and now he was knee deep in mud trying to pry a damn storage block door open. He swallowed his growing frustration and kept pushing.

The steel finally groaned when he put his back to it and inched apart just as the first zap of lightning peaked over the horizon.

Low lights illuminated the storage block's inner hallway. Rows of bolted and locked garage doors lined the warehouse. Best of all it was empty and would likely remain so for at least a night.

With a cobra pistol in hand, Jeremy inched forward, peering into the darkness that tempted him from the cold. When he heard no sounds, he lit up his omni-tool and accessed the building's maintenance V.I. The little Cerberus trick got the lights on and Jeremy looked up to the never-ending rows of caged storage units, full of crap that people called possessions. The building was new enough for an A.I but clearly not monitored by anyone with money. Little cracks on the roof were already pouring rivulets into the ugly cracks along the floor. The stupid place wasn't coming down anytime soon, but flooding was a different story.

Jeremy threw his pack on a nearby work shed and sighed. He was getting too fucking old for this.

"Hold—hold it right there!" The wavering voice ordered behind him as the unmistakable sound of a pistol unfolding near the base of his neck. From the click he guessed a raikou pistol being wielded by a dumb kid.

Jeremy played along and slowly raised both hands but didn't let go of his pistol. "Easy there. I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt now."

"You're—you—shit you're a cop! You're here for them," the frightened man said. "Shit...I can't—I can't lose my job over this. I only did what I was told!"

"Whoa, slow down kid," Jeremy said as he faced the young man. The boy's careful crew cut, wide fearful eyes and red uniform with the ExoGeni logo told him everything he needed to know. This intern was in way over his head. "Give me the gun."

Jeremy extended a hand and was not surprised when the kid passed it like a hot potato. Sure enough it was a raikou, a pathetic pea shooter that was practically designed with kids like him in mind.

The kid swallowed hard and seemed to be reconsidering his actions but Jeremy wasn't about to give him the opportunity. "Why'd you do it?" He asked in that disappointed voice, just like the cops always did. It was working as the kid looked ready to cry.

"I can take you to the asari, just please...this job's all I have." The kid broke down and squat cradling his head like a lost child. "My mom's going to kill me..."

Jeremy sighed inwardly.

_Yep. Definitely too old for this..._

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Lookout tower, Slums district warehouse/storage space—Endeavour colony, Ontarom.**_

The heat of fresh blood oozed down the combat knife and over Liam's clenched fist. A man lay dead a few feet away. The bastard's pathetic armor and absolute devotion to try and sound the alarm screamed of a dedicated civilian, not a coordinated soldier. _At least we know what we're dealing with..._

Taking long calming breaths, Liam watched the red river flow from the man's neck as the rain splashed it through the grate.

"_Commander, your vitals spiked. Are you okay?" _Casey's voice came through his comm. The absence of any other let him know they were on a private line. _"Commander?"_

Short quick breaths through the poly-synthetic cotton fabric of the mask eased him back into the mission. "I'm fine, Casey. One hostage taker down, looks like a sentry."

Shepard ripped the recon hood from his face and felt the cloak deactivate. It was risky but better to breathe without sopping wet mesh in his mouth. When it came to sniping proper breathing was everything.

"_Good riddance," _she replied with a relieved sigh. _"Any sign of the hostages?"_

Holstering the knife**,** he whipped out the modified mantis and scanned the inner compound through the scope. Intel showed that they had patrols around what used to be the manager's office. It was the smallest building in the compound and tight spaces tended to scare the asari, no one really knew why.

Scoping through the window he could see three idiots with basic chop shop armor as they stood guard over a group of five asari chained with biotic ropes. Another hostage taker, presumably the leader, stood before a camera man who was recording the whole thing with his omni-tool. Two more were outside the entrance doors armed with nothing but pistols. They were either very stupid or biotics themselves.

"Found them. Five, front and center bored stiff." Liam relayed, before sweeping his scope south to check on Vega's progress. "Looks like they're recording a broadcast. Anything new hit the extranet, Casey?"

"_Only the same drivel about how they're going to kill the asari if they don't leave the preservation efforts to Heyuan Genomics. The usual garbage."_

"Has the company made a statement?" Liam asked, tracking Vega as he took the outer perimeter guard from behind, surprising the poor bastard with a blow to the back of the head.

"_Other than disown these guys as employees? No." _Blitz said,_ "But I'll keep you posted."_

"Do," Liam said, watching as Vega dragged his fallen enemy off to the sides, completely unaware of the guy's partner sneaking up behind him.

Liam squeezed the trigger, eliciting a muffled crack from the mantis as the round left the chamber. Vega jumped and turned just in time to see bullet explode his would be attacker's brain in a bulls-eye.

"_Cutting it close there, Loco. Felt that one whizz past," _Vega said, taking cover as the two guarding the manager's door crept up to investigate.

"If you were paying attention you wouldn't have felt anything," Shepard said, as he waited on the series of rings that counted the cooldown period. The idiots investigating Vega's diversion were leaving the door wide open for Glen's finishing touches. But the ones at the main gates had a little more brain power and started to spread out to cover their buddies

"_Shit, Shepard. They're keeping wide," _Gordon cut in, _"I can't take em' in one go without alerting the inside no more."_

Liam tracked the two on the left, creeping closer to Vega's position. The other two approached the main gates for inspection. "Stick to the plan. Take the two at the gates, Glen. We'll handle the others on the left."

"_Roger,"_ Glen said. Liam was grateful that the vanguard could swallow his unease and trust him. Timing was everything now.

The curious guards suddenly halted. Liam watched through his scope in curiosity, they didn't look agitated, just a couple of more steps...

In a flash of panic the guards sprang into action and raced back to the house. Liam scoped back to the window and saw the source of their distress. One of the asari suddenly remembered she had powers and managed to break free. All three guards aimed their guns her way, but she was quicker and lit up with blue energy. Their guns sailed to the side. But their leader, now at her back was reached for his magnum.

A clean shot killed the leader before he could reach for his magnum. Liam moved the crosshairs to his confused cameraman and waited for the cooldown to subside. The asari struggled to subdue the guards, no doubt reeling from the dampening effects of the restraints. She wouldn't hold out if backup ran through the door. The other scientists didn't show a shred of fear for their attackers, but their inactivity wasn't exactly comforting. They just sat there! People were dying right in front of them and they just watched. Even hardened soldiers would have flinched so he expected more of a reaction from civilians…unless of course they weren't really scientists. Liam forced that thought back. Securing the hostages was the priority. After that he'd need some answers.

"Hunter, get that door down, now!" Shepard ordered, watching through his scope as the guards from outside barged through the door.

While Glen tried bashing through the front doors with a shotgun round, Vega made a mad dash for the manager's office. _"I'm going to draw their fire. Engaging!"_ Vega said and peppered the gate guards who fell behind cover.

"_Swinging around for an angle, sir!"_ Hunter replied.

Inside the asari was delivering some major payback. Her main problem was that she was surrounded and therefore always had her back to an assailant. The cameraman finally got a clue and raised a fallen rifle her way.

But he never got to pull the trigger.

Time slowed as Liam's second round impacted the man's skull and tore through the back. The red spray of blood, cartilage and brain matter stained the wall behind him. The dead man quivered before gravity took him down for good.

The ones trying to barge in through the front noticed their decreasing numbers and stopped to return took cover from the barrage.

Rounds singed the metal panels around him, a few slugs peppered the dead body making it twitch on impact.

The thunderous impact of the Mako's cannon sent the reinforced doors flying off their hinges. Once Glen was in, the Vanguard made quick work of the remaining enemies and the shooting eventually subsided.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Location: Slums district warehouse/storage space—Endeavour colony, Ontarom.**_

Jeremy hugged the wall at the sound of gunfire. Caplus Stark, the kid whom he wished he'd left behind, was smart enough to do the same but Jeremy could practically hear the kid's teeth chatter under the downpour. That crappy ExoGeni suit was no rain jacket. Plus the bold red was easy pickings for any sharp shooter worth his salt.

"You should go back," Jeremy chided, in yet another attempt to send Stark home while inching forward himself. The kid spent the better part of ten minutes explaining how he was coerced into this whole kidnapping plot by some co-workers. At the time he would've gladly dismissed this as another hazing incident. But the last thing Jeremy needed was Ontarom becoming a hot topic on the Alliance's radar. "Go home to mom and pretend none of this happened."

"No," the kid said, "I'm a Stark...I'm supposed—supposed to do the right thing..."

Jeremy rolled his eyes and guessed no one told the little idiot that he was risking his bean of a career by association alone. If a good cop tied him to this mess, Caplus would be out of work and done with Ontarom.

Before Jeremy could explain the situation in simple terms, a whistling noise caught his ear. It was so familiar that instinct took over and he grabbed Caplus, throwing him to safety just as the wall burst to smithereens under the impact of a Mako cannon.

The thunderous hit took Jeremy off his feet and showered him with chunks of concrete while the rain pelted his fresh cuts. Thankfully the section of wall that would've done the most damage was still up, despite its compromised structural state.

Rubbing the sandy grime from a particularly large gash on his forearm, Jeremy looked back to where the kid landed.

"Stark, you okay?" he asked in a low voice when the plume of concrete subsided.

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a few voices approached their position. "This is the Alliance. Don't move!"

_Great__**.**_

Caplus didn't make a peep but there was no time to ponder the kid's fate. Jeremy crouched to the ground and tried to crawl beneath the rubble. Rocks cut into his hands and elbows, burning a new trail of pain but he ignored it and buried himself under the carnage. The water and blood on his palms made it difficult to hang onto the Cobra pistol's grip, but he didn't dare let go as he watched the scene through a small crack in the debris.

If the Alliance was already here then he was shit out of luck.

Fuck.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Slums district warehouse/storage space, main gate—Endeavour colony, Ontarom.**_

Shepard entered the compound just as the rain fizzled away. A shift in winds brought the familiar smell of gunmetal, blood and carnage to his way. A rush of memories burned at his vision as he looked at all the scene around them.

Dead bodies bled from where precision rounds had torn through them. Most were buried under slabs of concrete and whatever else Glen's biotics managed to obliterate with the help of Hunter's cannon bombardment. Others had the clean hole between their eyes, his own handi-work.

He looked closely at the green Heyuan Genomics uniforms which poked out from beneath the cheap bloodstained armor. They were just civilians after all.

_No. They were hostage takers_. He kept reminding himself but his gut clenched at the sight. He had seen many dead bodies on the front lines, it was nothing new. But no matter how he slicedit these particular folks were civilians...

He turned away from the lifeless eyes and bee lined for the manager's office where Hunter and Vega were talking to the asari. Glen was up ahead making sure they left no one behind.

Liam felt the squish of flesh beneath his boot and winced when he looked down to a severed human hand. The owner was a few feet away, crushed by a beam of steel supports that had comedown under Hunter's barrage.

**~O~**

_Tiny hands and feet stuck out from beneath the rocks. _

_They weren't moving._

_Shepard threw his rifle aside and began digging frantically, scraping the earth with his bare hands, feeling the soil tug at his nails. No, no, no! They couldn't be dead._

_He was going to get them out of there. _

_He promised to get them out of there..._

**~O~**

"I already told you! We are here for the preservation initiative," oneof the asari yelled at Hunter. Liam focused on her face and clawed back to the real world. The asari remained softspoken, even in her anger. He recognized her as the only one who fought back.

The others beside her bristled in anger but otherwise said nothing as they helped eachother out of the de-energized restraints.

"Don't move!" Glen's voice near the ruins of what was once a wall caught Liam's attention. Hunter quickly drew his pistol and escorted the asari back to the Mako. Paladin in hand, Liam signaled to Vega and they approached Glen's position to form a V.

The Vanguard kept his shotgun aimed at the groggy human atop the pile of rubble. Liam stepped forward, careful to keep right of his team member's line of fire.

Unlike the hostage, takers this man...no a kid really looked to be no older than John, maybe even Fi's age, was roughly in his mid twenties. What used to be a clean crew cut of dark hair was matte with grime and sticky blood. His entire forehead was starting to swell, likely a concussion, Liam observed as the groggy kid opened his eyes but was still a bit out of it.

"Don't move," Liam ordered as he reached out and checked him for weapons. Though it was anyone's guess where he would keep them in a thin red ExoGeni suit like that. Finding none, Liam yanked him upright by the collar and passed him off to Vega. "Restrain him and put him in the Mako. He's coming with us."

Liam turned back to Glen who holstered his shotgun. "Good work, Gordon."

The Vanguard smirked his appreciation. "Not so bad yourself, Shep. Did the blue ones say anythin' worth listening to?"

"We'll find out soon," Liam replied as he activated his comm. "We're done here, Casey. We have six body bags incoming, all hostage takers. Five asari are secured and one possible witness from ExoGeni is in tow. He might need medical attention."

"_Copy that, Commander. A med squad is on stand-by at base. I'll let the Captain know as soon as she's back. Blitz out."_

Liam started to move but an odd feeling made him freeze. It was the same kind that put ice down his back whenever he suspected someone was watching him. Mitigating his adrenal response, he slowed his breathing and became acutely aware of everything around him. The sun had broken through the dark clouds and the rays made everything seem orange under his focus.

Movement beside him caught his eye and Liam raised the Paladin straight to the intruder's face.

"Whoa," Vega said, raising his hands up high, "easy, loco. It's just me."

Liam quickly holstered his gun and made a show of rubbing his tired eyes. Trying his best put the blame on bad rest. "What is it?"

If Vega was annoyed at the blatant attempt not to address this, he didn't show it. The crazy marine didn't even flinch and that showed some alarming devotion. "We're ready to go. That's if you are too...unless you wanna stand here and smell the metal." Vega smiled showing no hard feelings.

"No thanks." Liam smiled too and clasped his buddy on the shoulder. "And sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for, loco," Vega replied, as they headed back towards the Mako, "you're just lucky I don't shoot fucking new guys."

They both laughed at that.

Between six body bags and five bickering asari, the ride back was annoying. Gordon was smart to sit shotgun with Hunter at the wheel. Liam and Vega were stuck gripping the overhead hand rails, acting as nothing more than dividers between dead hostage takers, pissed off hostages and one semi-conscious ExoGeni employee. Liam caught Vega's annoyed look as three subordinate asari tore into their leader, the only one who fought for them. She seemed like a young kid even by asari standards, still trying to pacify the situation as it turned ugly.

"We could've finished them back at the ship," one asari yelled.

"Yeah," another joined in, "what the hell Liara? We have biotics for a reason. If you let us thump them in the beginning none of this would've happened."

"They were humans," the one named Liara plead her case, seated between them. "Are you forgetting the treaty we signed with this species, Sithandra?"

"All I know is I didn't sign a treaty that says I can be taken hostage," Sithandra answered back, crossing her arms begrudgingly. "We could've handled that ourselves. Besides you ended up using yours anyways. Just don't see why we couldn't use our biotics too."

"Liara acted in self defense as a last resort. Leaders are allowed to use discretion by law. If you all did it, the Alliance wouldn't hesitate to ban asari from Ontarom and start another contact war," Liam said, making sure his tone left no room for argument. It seemed to do the trick as all three asari backed off from their leader. "Liara made the right call."

"Thanks," one of the quiet ones at the far corner said to him. "Guess we owe you for the rescue."

"Yes. Without your help I can't imagine what would have happened," Liara said, watching Sithandra from the corner of her eye.

"You're welcome," Vega said. Though his expression showed amusement at the situation, probably remembering how they bashed the asari's lack of action earlier.

"What were you doing down here anyway?" Liam asked, looking over to Liara. It was hard to imagine this bookish, soft spoken girl out looking for trouble. But they were far from any area cleared for scientific use.

"We were sent here to catalog and help preserve Ontarom's unique genetic biodiversity," Liara explained. "Those men greeted us at the launch pad next to the designated exploration zones. Their Heyuan Genomics credentials were genuine. We thought our detention was a simple mix-up."

"Speak for yourself, Liara," Sithandra butt in, "just cause' you were blinded by fake hospitality doesn't mean the rest of us were." Sithandra glared to Shepard, backed by two more of the science team. "Some of us don't have the privilege of royalty to protect us from harm."

"For the last time, Sithandra, I'm not here because of my mother," Liara snapped in what was the first real hint of emotion he saw from the calm girl.

So she was royalty? Well that explained a lot. Liam was no expert in asari culture but the other three acted older than their leader and her sole but quiet supporter in the back. Clearly there was some imbalance of power on this squad.

"I'm not interested in who has what spoon up their ass," Liam said, putting a momentary cease fire to the bickering. "Does your government know you're here?"

"Yes," Liara explained, seemingly settling down again. "University of Serrice' department of archeology oversees this mission. This project is also funded by the Thessian government."

"Contact them. Let them know what happened and that you'll be staying at Alliance firebase Dagger on Ontarom," Shepard commanded.

Liara gave him a questioning look. "We have our own ship. If you escort us there we can be on our way."

Nothing would have made him happier, but alas orders were orders—according to Flores. "It doesn't work like that. I can't let you off world until you have a word with my bosses. Besides, we still need to figure out why they decided to take you hostage," Liam said, kicking the body bag at his feet for emphasis.

"Great, more bullshit," Sithandra raged.

"Settle down," Vega cautioned, gripping his holster when the asari began to rise. Thankfully another bump along the road took her balance and planted her ass back on that seat.

Liara held out a hand, trying to pacify the other two who lit up with the aura of biotics. "Please, we don't need more conflict. They saved our lives, surely talking to their superiors is the least we can do. Otherwise I can write you up for insubordination and you can say goodbye to any future archeological excursions off-world."

The silent threat worked as the other asarirelaxed and turned back to their normal shade. Liam held his Paladin loosely at his side, not sure exactly when he drew it but happy he did since it sent the right message.

As he watched Liara make the call, his own comm delivered Blitz voice straight to his ear. _"Got some news for you, Commander. Preston and Flores took a squad to survey the nearby dig sites and secured what looks like our asari's ship."_

Shepard cupped his ear, to signal he was talking privately and not going crazy. "Good. Tell the Captain we're about ten minutes out."

"_You got it. Blitz out." _Casey said and signed off.

When they reached the base Glen and Hunter got to work unloading the bodies. Liam led the way with Vega bringing up the rear, assault rifle in hand just in case any asari remembered their biotics. The firebase bustled with activity as alliance servicemen ran wild, armed with—_are those brooms? _Liam frowned, looking around as everyone kneeled with buckets in hand and scrubbed the floors clean. Marines carrying ladders, wood and paint crisscrossed past, making the whole place feel like an expensive movie set rather than the military base it was meant to be.

"What's going on?" Liara asked, stopping at Liam's side.

"I don't know." He shook his head and waved Vega up front. "Follow James to the control array. I'll be up there in a moment," he said when his eyes found Traynor on the floor with the rest scrubbing as if her life depended on it.

When the party moved ahead, Liam stepped over and squat next to the tech. "You're a part time cleaning lady? Is there anything you can't do, Traynor?" he teased.

That earned him a sud to the face before the young marine reeled back in horror. "Oh! I'm so sorry Commander. I thought you were someone else." But her slightly devious smile said otherwise.

"Liar," he joked, wiping the water from his jaw and smiling, knowing that he had it coming. "Did I miss something? Or is Brock gunning for 'party of the year' mentions on the extranet?"

Traynor laughed, earning her some jealous looks from the folks around her but relaxed with Shepard's presence. Team cleaning did wonders for morale, but the way Brock worked this base it didn't look like he gave a damn about morale. Otherwise he'd have noticed the overworked state of his troops.

"The Colonel wants to hold a press conference," Traynor explained, slapping the sudsy sponge back against the tile, communicating her disapproval.

"About the hostage situation?" At her nod, Shepard felt his eyes bulge. It was one thing to release a statement about a delicate situation but a really stupid move to unleash a three ringed media circus on a mission without any details to stand on. "He hasn't even spoken to the asari. What the hell does he plan on telling the galaxy?" Liam asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Traynor replied. "We're erecting a podium near the dark side. He's invited Endeavour colony's governing council and Heyuan Genomics' CEO Roland Price to give a statement. It should be a good watch...if you like horror flicks."

"Wonderful," Liam sighed, knowing this could turn into a train wreck if a good reporter hit Brock with a few telling questions, in which case he himself would likely be the scapegoat for any 'uncomfortable' questions. "Just wonderful."

Liam rose and walked away, leaving Traynor to what was clearly punishment. Back at the Mako Hunter stood aside as a team of medics pulled the ExoGeni employee from the Mako's compartment.

"Anything?" Liam asked, glancing at the unconscious kid as he was being strapped onto a gurney by three med techs.

Hunter looked up and waved his omni-tool to life. "I compared his face against ExoGeni's employee database. Caplus Stark, works for the ExoGeni portion of the preservation efforts."

Liam frowned. It didn't seem right that an ExoGeni employee would help his competitors kidnap the asari. But if he wasn't involved then his presence made no sense at all. "That's it?"

"For now," Hunter said, returning to his omni-tool. "I've gained access to multiple top clearance ExoGeni projects but nothing that this guy is tied into."

One of the med techs injected Stark with an IV as the others checked his vitals with their omni-tools concentrating on the head trauma.

"Then I guess it's a round of interrogation when he wakes up," Liam said, watching as the techs gingerly wheeled him away. At least until the glint of sunlight lit their ExoGeni medical crests. "Wait, what the hell?" Liam sprinted towards the med unit before it could get far. "I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance navy. You're on a military base and I need you to leave the prisoner. Now."

The techs stopped and looked to him with some confusion. A few nearby marines hesitated between backing him and getting their jobs done. But before they could reply Hunter jogged to a stop beside him. "Sir, the colonel released our prisoner to the ExoGeni medical staff. We can't detain him."

"What?" Shepard was ready to burst. This was the match to the powderkeg he didn't need, especially from his _favorite_ pencil pusher.

Hunter only nodded to show his disdain. "I agree but we don't have the authority to stop them."

"It says so right here," the only female tech among the two men stepped forward and shoved a datapad with Brock's chicken scrawl to his face.

He slapped it away and turned to Hunter. "Stay on him. I'm not letting a potential witness disappear."

"Yes sir," Hunter complied and stepped aside as Shepard stormed out. Hell bent on finding Brock and wringing the colonel's thick neck with his own hands.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful support. You guys are fantastic and each of your suggestions help learn. Now let's hear your love of Brock :P Also, how did you take Liara's inclusion?**

**I love hearing all of your thoughts!  
**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Location: Underground detention cells—Firebase Dagger—Ontarom**_

The holding cells were deep underground, beneath firebase dagger and only accessible through a central lift from the control array. It should have felt cramped and dingy but the gleaming steel surfaces and wide corridors made Liam feel like he just stepped into an office building and not a bunker. There was space for everyone and as such, each scientist got her own cell.

Brock was speaking to them one-on-one, but instead of gleaning valuable intel or doing a proper interrogation he was discussing trivial things. At least that's all that Liam caught when he barged in there before Preston did the honors and tossed him out_._ Flores was supposedly interviewing another asari in the next room and since neither her nor Brock would talk to each other afterwards, it was a useless exercise to begin with.

Meandering the halls, he stayed far away from the occupied interview rooms where Brock and Flores were. The ambulance carrying the ExoGeni kid was long gone so there was no point trying to get their attention again. He only hoped Hunter was persistent in tracking him. They couldn't lose their only witness.

Reaching the last cell he nodded to Vega who was left to play bodyguard by Liara's door.

"How's she doing?" Liam asked, his omni-tool hovering just inches before the door controls.

"Isn't saying much. Brock spoke with her already. The Captain wants to interview her last but I don't know what more she could tell them," Vega shrugged making his shoulder clasps bob. "How's the ExoGeni kid?"

"Gone." Liam hit the wall above the door panel, feeling his omni-tool take the worst of it. "Our fearless colonel handed our only witness back to his masters."

"You're shitting me?" James huffed and shook his head. "The Pendejo."

"I sent Hunter on him but it's only a matter of time before he's stonewalled," Liam said over his shoulder as he moved through the main door that led to Liara's cell. James stood straight to resume his watch with a dark scowl, on high alert for a firsthand demonstration of Brock's stupidity.

Liam knocked before stepping into a strange place. Instead of a bland holding cell the place resembled a guest room complete with a decent bed, desk and night table. Liara stood before a window, not unlike those in an interrogation room. But instead of a one-way mirror she stared out into a picturesque landscape of mountains and waterfalls beyond the horizon; in other words a landscape that couldn't possibly exist underground.

She didn't turn but the sound of her forehead hitting the glass in defeat let him know she was aware of his presence.

Crossing his arms, Liam leaned against the door and watched her from a distance. She technically didn't have to say anything. The asari had diplomatic immunity if they were granted special project permits near human colonies. Last time he checked, Liara's squad did in fact have such a permit.

Liara spared him a sidelong glance but refused to say anything. He caught anger, confliction and despair in her expression. She was definitely young because the moment recognition flashed in her eyes she was at a loss for words. "Oh, it's you..."

Liam chuckled, knowing exactly why and spared her the awkwardness. "I'm Commander Shepard from before. How are you, Liara?"

She looked visibly relieved at having his name. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude it's just been... a long day, Commander. I've already said everything I know to your colonel."

"I'm not here to grill you for intel. I just want to know how you're doing. How was it?" He sympathized. To someone like Liara, Brock was the epitome of authority. To those who knew better...well. They knew better.

"He was very kind," she said, a small smile grazed her lips. Its genuine quality threw him for a loop. _Are we even talking about the same guy?_ "The Colonel insisted we stay for the press conference. My superiors at Serrice seem...eager."

"But you're not?" Liam inquired with an incline of his head. Something in the way she moved screamed nerves. Not that he blamed her, standing before a camera was like jumping in front of a moving train at first. Then there were the reporters always looking for the perfect opening to make you bleed... privileges of being a war hero.

"Public speaking is not my strong suit...I freeze and...my place is in my lab," she said coming to a natural conclusion. The lab was her safe haven and that wasn't changing.

Liam moved from the door and came to sit on the comfortable guest cot. The warm cotton blankets felt soft under his hand. This was less of a cell and more of a guest bedroom, a special kind of sucking up. What the hell did Brock want from the scientists? "A purist," he said, backpedaling quickly when her eyes grew large, "it's been a long time since I've seen anyone so devoted to their work."

She seemed to relax at that. "Oh...I thought you meant...never mind. Thank you."

"What are you researching, Liara?" He pressed, seeing her relax as she stepped to stand before him. Her green uniform would've pegged her as a Heyuan Genomics employee, had it not been for the asari logo on her right shoulder.

"I've been studying the Protheans," she said, running her hands up and down her arms in a warming gesture. Liam shuffled from the middle to the foot of her bed and patted the seat next to him. Something told him they might need to get comfortable for this story. Liara agreed and sat down gracefully. "But the faculty insisted that I lead the preservation effort here on Ontarom."

He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this story, including parts she wasn't sure she should tell. "Tell me more about these Protheans. They sound, familiar."

Liara's large eyes grew even wider alongside her smile. Clearly her favorite subject. "The Protheans were an ancient race that came before us. Not much is known about them. I have been studying their artifacts, ruins and technology but my progress is hindered every time the faculty wants to re-assign me. Not much priority is given to Prothean research."

He was impressed. The asari clearly had a more comprehensive view of history than humans did. "So what happened to the Protheans?"

"I would like to find out," Liara said, with disappointment, "it's a slow moving field at the moment. Not many excavations are devoted to archaic research."

Shepard nodded thoughtfully. She seemed knowledgeable but not arrogant like he expected from someone so privileged, Brock being exhibit A. But there was genuine curiosity when she spoke and judging from her disappointment something was impeding that progress. "Your friends didn't seem too happy to be here either. Are they also Prothean enthusiasts?"

"No." Liara frowned slightly and shook her head. "Sithandra and some of the others were a part of an asari commando unit. They have been reprimanded for their actions in battle and must serve their time volunteering on educational digs."

Now it made sense. Asari commandos being taken hostage by humans was like him being held hostage by a volus, embarrassing. No wonder they all took jabs at Liara. But that was the curse of pride. They should be thankful they're seeing another day at all.

Liara shivered beside him and he almost slapped himself for not paying attention. "Here." He drew the blanket over her shoulders, watching as a slight blush crept up her blue cheeks. "Better?"

"Yes...thank you," she said, before quickly averting her gaze. It was kind of cute and for a moment he felt bad. After all he was trying to get her more comfortable partially because he needed more intel. But another part of him actually welcomed her company.

"Well that explains their attitude," Liam continued, trying to keep the conversation running its course, "especially the remarks about your mother."

That earned him an annoyed look, but he caught the brief hint of pain the word mother inflicted. Before he could utter an apology she said, "I haven't spoken to my mother in years. She has no bearing on what I do and do not do."

"I'm sorry. She just sounds important," Liam pressed, and this time not because he wanted to.

"My mother is matriarch Benezia." She watched him intently but that name didn't ring a bell. Liam made a mental note for a quick extranet search later. But right now she was just another matriarch to him.

"Can't say I've heard much about her," he said truthfully and watched her visibly relax and tug the covers around her tighter.

"I'm not surprised. She is not exactly popular with the asari council for her ideas. Benezia thinks the asari should have a greater role in shaping galactic events," Liara said, those big blue eyes watching him for any sign of judgment.

Shepard decided to let the subject drop as he moved back to her comfort zone, "I bet she didn't like that you chose science over supporting her ideas. But that's not going to stop you from future digs is it?"

Liara shook her head. "No. I was relieved to hear that the faculty along with the asari council chose not to persecute us. Something I have Colonel Brock to thank for, if it weren't for the public watching us..."

"...They wouldn't hesitate to punish you," Liam concluded, feeling a tiny bubble of respect for the man only to feel it shatter when he realized there was likely an ulterior motive at play here. "So what happens when you get home?"

Liara removed her shoes and shifted on the bed to sit cross legged as she pondered the question. "We will head back to Thessia and debrief...after that...I don't know. Perhaps another dig. I heard one was opening on Feros."

Liam nodded, sensing her fatigue as he stood and stretched, feeling his shoulders crack into place. "I think you should try the next dig alone."

"What makes you say that?" Liara asked and he could sense the underlying tone of hostility beneath the curiosity.

Liam smiled down to her. "It's a miracle you were able to work off those restraints. It also shows a determination your companions don't have. Don't feel like you have to play by the rules to get anywhere, if Protheans are really your thing then go study them and let this team pick on someone else."

That soft smile returned as she pondered his words and tried to stifle a yawn. "You...might be right."

"Sleep on it," Shepard said, retreating for the door.

"Wait, commander I didn't get your full name...unless you just want to be called by your rank, if that's how the culture works then I am really sorry for my ignorance," she babbled, and he almost wanted to laugh at the cute blush re-appearing on her cheeks.

"It's Liam," he said, softly. "And I'll see you at the press conference tomorrow, Liara."

"Of course," she replied, holding her head in embarrassment. "Good night, Liam."

"Good night, Liara."

Back in the hallway, Vega looked to him with some discomfort. "How did that go?"

"Not bad. She's ready for bed so it's better if Flores waits until tomorrow for an interrogation," Liam said, hoping the arms master would convey this himself. But Vega only stood there, scratching the back of his neck with unease. "What is it?"

"Well—" Before Vega could say another word the adjacent door opened and Flores strode through, followed by Traynor who had a datapad and a star struck look in her eyes at being so close to the Captain.

Both he and James snapped to attention and saluted. He could feel Traynor's unease, not knowing how to respond since she was technically already in a captain's company.

"At ease," Flores said, as she made her way over to his personal space and stared him down with those hypnotic brown eyes. She looked so different in full combat armor, almost patriotic with that blue alliance symbol on her chest plate. "I'm impressed, Shepard. Didn't know you're quite the ladies man who doubled as an interrogations officer."

Now it clicked. She was probably pissed because he wasn't authorized to set foot in there and poor Vega was likely getting most of her wrath when they got back. But something about her amused expression contradicted that analysis.

"Doctor T'Soni gave me some vital intel," he began.

"I heard," Flores said, taking a step back. "Tell him what you got, Traynor."

The young technician stepped forward and offered him a data pad with a dossier on T'Soni, Matriarch Benezia and pretty much the whole team and a full transcript of what they talked about. The last part was alarming. There were no listening devices in cells, none aside from the ones officers brought in with them. He stared at Flores before it finally hit him.

That window was a two way mirror. There was not only proof of him breaking the rules, but he had also given her a show of what he was capable of. It would be fun trying to her earn her trust now.

"Good work, Shepard," she said neutrally over her shoulder as she passed. "Traynor**,** send all that to Casey Blitzer's omni-tool. We're done here."

"Yes ma'am," Traynor complied a little too eagerly.

"Are you still going to interview her, ma'am?" Liam asked, watching as she walked away.

She stopped and stared at him. "What's the point?"

There wasn't one really so he let it hang. With a nod, Captain Flores headed out with Traynor at her heels like an obedient puppy.

When they were gone Liam turned to James as if to ask what that was about, but the arms master only shrugged and said, "I tried to tell you."

"Right," Liam said, just as a group of armed service men strolled through and took their guard posts.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Deck six (Officer's lounge)—SSV Dublin—Ontarom**_

Non-alcoholic booze and the sound of revived rock music made their way through the officer's lounge as everyone celebrated the first day of operations. Everyone except Preston who was downstairs barking orders at the marines**, **and Flores who was nowhere to be found. But the festivities did little to distract Liam as his mind kept replaying his conversation with Liara. Sweet kid. What the hell was Brock going to do to them on a galaxy-wide broadcast?

At the poker table Liam peeked from behind his cards, noticing the increased activity around them as he waited Hunter out. Three technical officers engaged in a game of pool against the med staff. A female Ensign from the CIC was chatting with her bored looking colleague. A small gaggle formed around the TV, four people were playing a racing game while the others surrounding them made bets. It seemed like business as usual around here and Liam was thankful for the distraction.

"This guy, this guy right here is the man!" Gordon yelled, and slapped Liam's back with enough force to knock the wind out as they passed. "We ever had a ballsier Commander or what?"

"He shoots this guy right between the eyes before I even see him. Saved my ass," Vega added, holding his own beer in toast. To anyone else he would've seemed fine, but Liam noticed the subtle things like how fast James downed his drinks. Almost like a dying man ready to take the final hit.

Thankfully Gordon's presence seemed to be doing him some good. Both men were talking animatedly, trying to impress Ellie and Casey. The women tried to swallow their smiles but it was clear to anyone with a pair of eyes they thought the guys were clowns.

"Is that so?" Blitz asked with faux amazement as she stared at Vega.

"So if Shepard did all that, what did you guys do?" Ellie asked with a teasing smile.

"Messed em' up good is what we did!" Glen roared, raising his mug against Vega's. They were like two frat boys at a house party and Liam was finding it harder to keep tuning them out as he set his cards down.

"Full house, Hunter. Let's see them," Liam said, feeling lucky or at least wanting to. The kid was a decent poker player but he wasn't about to let his own ten year card sharp reputation go down the drain.

The young chief splayed his cards to reveal four queens and one five. Liam sighed in defeat as Hunter fist pumped. It marked the first sign of happiness the kid showed all night since coming back empty handed from that ExoGeni chase. "Yes!"

"Well I guess it's only fair you know what luck feels like," Liam teased lightly as he analyzed the kid. Hunter had been quiet throughout the mission. Sure he didn't know him well enough to judge, but something about their earlier conversation in the elevator hit a chord. Was the kid happy being an engineer?

At the time it was best to just leave it be. But now that they had a few drinks to relax Liam decided it was the perfect time to grill this one on his future.

"Shepard**,** don't leave us hangin', tell the girls what we did," Glen hollered raising a toast in his direction. There was no need since they were about two steps away, but clearly Glen got a hold of the good stuff and was showing signs of real alcohol use.

"In a minute," Shepard said, laughing when Ellie motioned to the vanguard and rolled her eyes. "I'm teaching Hunter the art of winning."

Hunter shuffled the cards with a tired sigh. "I can't believe it, Sir."

"Believe what?" Shepard asked, receiving his hand and taking another swig of non-alcoholic beer.

"You've been here less than seventy-two hours and everyone's taken a liking to you," Hunter said as he laid three cards face-up between them. "What's your secret?"

There was nothing in Hunter's voice to suggest hostility, but his sudden somber demeanor put Liam on high alert. "Infiltrator trade secret, Hunter. If I told you, I'd have to train you."

Hunter's head shot up with a smile, before reason kicked in and he looked down. _So that's what this is about?_ "You still want to be an infiltrator, Hunter?"

"No sir, I'm—"

"—you don't need stripes or a designation to train with one," Liam said, pointing to his own N7 insignia which Hunter had been eyeing all night.

A moment passed where Hunter checked and Liam took the opportunity to raise. When the kid was ready he looked up, but the resolve faded as quickly as it came. "I don't know if that's a good idea. I'm a horrible marksman. You'd be wasting your time."

_Rookies, they all think we're born with this ability._ Shepard went all in and waited for Hunter's bet. "You have potential. Everyone seems to see that but you."

That was a match to the kid's powder keg. Hunter raised and splayed his cards to reveal a straight flush without meeting his eyes.

Liam flipped his hand to a royal flush which finally got Hunter's attention. The kid gaped in surprise but Liam rose to stand, ready to put the choice in Hunter's hand. "If you want to learn, give me twenty minutes and meet me at the shooting range."

"I—" Hunter started, still staring at the cards that beat him.

"I don't need an answer," Liam said, turning from him. "Choice is yours, Hunter."

With that he headed for the door, pushing past the high ranking techs and platoon leaders. But he didn't get far as a slim hand fell to his forearm.

"Shepard, come on you can't leave me with those two," Ellie said, not protesting as Shepard led them towards a quiet place near the door.

"You have Casey," he replied, searching for the familiar shock of purple hair that was chatting up Vega.

"Yes, but have you seen the googly eyes she's been making at Vega? They better be getting a room soon," she teased, eyeing them before regarding him with serious eyes. "So what was that with you and Hunter? I've never seen him so down at a party."

Shepard didn't want to have this conversation, not when he had one hell of an apology to turn out and limited time. "Don't know. I should go."

Liam turned to leave but that wasn't happening when Ellie gripped his shoulders and forced him back to her. Those honey colored irises transformed from playful to menacing in the blink of an eye. "It's because you're an infiltrator isn't it."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Shepard questioned, fully confused now. Everyone was walking on eggshells when it came to Hunter.

She looked taken aback for a moment but tried to regain her composure. Liam could see the internal struggle in her eyes as she fought to stay silent.

"Ellie?" Shepard pressed, "What is it?"

"Look, it's not my place to say," she said in a low tone, "but just leave him be. Don't fill his head with thoughts of being an infiltrator."

"You're not making sense?" Shepard said, but she was already moving away.

"Just trust me," Ellie threw over her shoulder before heading back to the group.

Liam mused on her words on the elevator ride down to deck five. Something had clearly gone on with Hunter but he either wanted to forget that past or couldn't quite find a way to deal with it yet. Liam swallowed the familiar feel of the situation.

Deck one was still bustling with the dull roar of M35Mako engines and mechanics. From a distance he could see a handful of marines unloading some vehicles. The critical phase of setting up the FOB was over, now personnel were concerned with backup systems for the lights and monitors.

The place still resembled a large city, but now with most of the equipment and vehicles gone there was enough space to cut across to the second gym some jarheads must've set up. There was a gym on deck two near the medical offices, but something about the fresh tropical air breezing through the open hangar must have appealed to these guys. Making his way to the gaggle, he waved down the few marines who scrambled to set their weights down and salute him.

"Don't worry, keep working," he said, curious about the big gaggle in the middle. A group of marines stood with their backs to him as Preston's voice reached his ears. "What's going on?"

"Preston and Flores are telling us about their recon mission on Tuchanka," One of the corporals replied casually, thinking he was talking to a buddy.

"The krogan pulled a knife," Flores' voice came above the gaggle. Liam pushed forward and the marines easily moved from his way.

"But it was too late, seeing as how the Captain already shot his balls off," Preston said, his voice dry and growly as if he'd been laughing all night. A few of the marine guys reeled back with 'oohs', while the women cheered.

"But you were surrounded?" A woman with the rank of private asked from the captain's side. "How the hell did you escape, ma'am?"

"The shots attracted attention, but the bastards took their time," Flores replied, her eyes briefly met his as he came out to the front. "Needless to say, they didn't stand a chance against Preston's minefield."

"It only worked cause' the Captain had enough sense to order us to rig the high ground before we descended," Preston said, looking at her with a textbook example of admiration. "Saved our lives."

Flores shook her head even as the marines cheered and congratulated them. "Any one of you would've done the same thing. I know it because we're born and raised on one saying. What is it Marines?"

"Do or die, ma'am!" the Marines called out in one unified voice.

"That's right," Flores acknowledged as she looked around the room, challenging anyone to say otherwise. No one did. "But no dying without my permission."

The Marines smiled at that, some laughed while others just stared it awe. She was everything to these jarheads and anyone with two eyes could see that.

Preston nodded in agreement, smiling to his men and women. "Enough story time, get back to work, Marines."

The gaggle dispersed as everyone fell back to their tasks. A few returned to the weights while others beelined for the lockers, happy to end their shifts.

Liam stood still and only had eyes for the Captain. She wasn't wearing her dress uniform, instead blue cargo pants and a black tank top showed off her well toned arms and slim figure. Yet even despite her casual attire she still radiated authority and even Preston stepped aside as she approached.

"Gotta hand it to you, Captain. I've never known anyone who shot off a krogan's balls and lived to tell about it," Liam said, crossing his arms as she regarded him carefully.

"I keep them in a trophy cabinet. I'll show them to you one day," she replied over her shoulder with a beckoning smile as she passed him by. "You might learn a few things."

One of the more bashful corporals offered her a towel. Flores took it and rewarded the young marine by addressing him by his first name. "Thank you, Jarvis."

"You're welcome, Captain," with that he blushed deep red and scurried to join his buddies who were egging him on.

She even knew her marines on a first name basis…impressive. Liam took that as his invitation and fell in step with her. "You're good with names?"

Captain Flores shot him an amused look, one that lit up her lovely brown eyes. "When I came home for my first shore leave, I couldn't shut up. I went on and on about all the different places I've been to and what Earth was like, talked Elena's ear off," a wistful smile appeared on her lips as they neared the elevator. "Then she asked me what my Captain's name was and I couldn't remember. I knew she was a woman but that was it. She never came down to the lower decks and we weren't allowed on the higher ones. Since then I made a point to never be like that Captain."

"Makes sense I suppose." A moment of easy silence passed as they waited for the lift. Liam could tell that there was some heavy nostalgia at the mention of her sister, but knew better than to get into that so soon. They had other issues to mend first. "I wanted to apologize about what happened back at the control array with Brock the other day. I put you at risk and I'm sorry."

Even though the hangar was busy with activity, Liam could feel all the curious ears trying to listen in on their conversation. Flores seemed to be on the same page so she changed course for the more secluded elevator banks.

Flores looped the towel over her shoulders and gave him a questioning look. "_You_ put _me_ at risk?" the barest hint of sarcasm crept into her voice. "That's a new one."

"It's just that I get it. Whatever I do to annoy Brock comes down on you," he stated, suddenly feeling self-conscious for spelling out the obvious. "But you don't have to worry. I'll dance to his tune...or crush his toes trying."

"I don't need a dancer or a yes man, Shepard. That's what Preston is for," she said lightly. "But for the record it's not me I'm worried about." She gave him a lingering glance before stepping inside the lift. Liam joined her and she spoke when they were shoulder to shoulder. "I didn't realize I wasn't the only one who had history with Brock."

This was her way of asking for more, but as much as Liam wanted to explain himself, he wasn't ready to relive that day. And he sure as hell wasn't willing to forgive Brock. That bastard got a lot of people killed because he couldn't hold it together during the Blitz.

"I doubt we'll be the last, ma'am," Liam said in a low voice as he swallowed back the onrush of memories.

**~O~**

"_Sir, I'm not ready!"The young marine hollered as Shepard tossed the rifle to him. "I've never even finished basic. Lieutenant Brock will come back—"_

"_We don't have time! There's nothing to it, just point and shoot."_

"_But..."_

"_They're counting on us so move your ass!" Shepard yelled. A few of the panicked civilians cowered at his words, keeping their heads down as they tried to ignore the sounds of gun fire outside._

"_Cover me, I'm going to rig that building and get us a barrier for retreat." Before the rookie could comply Shepard took off. Hands on fire and sticky with blood, gripping the rifle, Liam rushed towards the sound of gunfire. _

**~O~**

"Shepard!" The commanding voice snapped him back to reality and to the mesmerizing brown eyes of Captain Flores as they searched him calmly.

"Ma'am..." he replied slowly before his brain caught up, reminding him why he was in the cramped ascending lift with Flores. "I..."

She was close, way too close to his feveredskin and he could barely hide the violent tremors cascading down his back.

"You're shaking," Flores observed, looking him over as those brown eyes clouded with questions.

"Cold night," Liam answered, recovering enough to look into her eyes again. Her earlier concern was now replaced with annoyance. Thankfully the lift doors opened, giving themsome much needed air. Escape was only a few steps away, but his body was held prisoner under her gaze. "I'm fine."

"I'm surprised you can say that with a straight face," Flores said evenly. "Can you estimate how far from fine you really are?"

"There's no need—"

"Save it," Flores hissed, keeping a firm hand on the lift doors while staring him down. "I saw your bio-suit readout from the rescue mission."

He forced a laugh and made to step out but Flores backed with him, keeping herself between him and the door. "I've been out of the field for quite some time, the readouts were just me adapting to the situation," Liam defended. After all what did she expect? The mission was a success. What did it matter if his vitals were high? It was a combat zone! "We saved the asari hostages. I kept it together. I want to help you, Captain and we both know I can't do that with a section 8 on my record."

"You also can't do that if you're dead," she replied, but seemed to at least consider his point. It wasn't like she could leave her duties and search for Elena herself, which left him as her trump card. "Where are we with the search?"

"Nothing signaled so far," Liam said, grateful that she seemed to drop the topic as he tapped his omni-tool and showed her the unchanged readout. "I'm doing another visual inspection before night's end."

"Good," Flores replied, though her voice sounded far from it. She pushed away from the doors and headed for her room. "What about that ExoGeni kid you found?"

"Hunter followed him as far as the hospital doors, then ExoGeni practically locked the place down." He wished there was more good news to relay.

Flores chewed on that and yanked the logical scenario. "I assume you already tried asking nicely."

He smiled, liking her mode of thinking. "I'd love to just barge in and interrogate the kid, but it's not that simple. ExoGeni owns the facility and they're the colony's largest employer, I'm no politician but a pissed off colony will only get in the way. Even if I manage to talk to him it's not like he's _not_ going to remember."

"In other words we need someone with political pull," she mused, furrowing her brow in disgust.

Liam nodded and crossed his arms, not thrilled with the conclusion that all arrows pointed to their favorite base commander. "It's going to raise a big stink and I just made you a promise..."

"Alright, I'll talk to Brock," she said, shooting him a 'you owe me' look. "Just be prepared when it all goes to shit."

He smiled. "Understood." Liam reached out to stop the door from closing. "Wait there's one more thing, Captain."

"What is it?"

"It's about, Hunter." He couldn't believe he was actually doing this but something about Hunter begged to be given a chance out in the field. "Do you mind if he tags along for the sweep tonight?"

"You need a driver?" she asked distractedly, checking her omni-tool.

"No," Liam said, shaking his head, "just thought it'd be an opportunity for more field work. He seems cut out for it."

Flores lowered her omni-tool with an unreadable expression. "Hunter is a great wheelman, but he's not setting foot unto armed ground combat." Her cold eyes showed she meant business. "Do you understand?"

Of course he did, engineers were still in short supply. But the kid was practically dying under the hum-drum boredom of support tasks. Would it really be so bad to at least pretend he was on a mission?

"I wouldn't mind some back-up," Liam pressed, hoping there was some way to negotiate.

"Your mission is reconnaissance. If things get hot I know I can trust you to hold out until we get there, Shepard. In the meantime this op stays under wraps," She said before walking further. "I told you I'm not risking anyone else's career for this."

Liam followed and she seemed to hesitate as he waited her out, before muttering a short 'christ'. "Look if you need backup that badly take a small squad of marines from downstairs."

"I need stealth not a parade, ma'am," he said calmly, as he watched her hand hover over her door's console. "What's the harm?"

Flores sighed then spoke. "We need Hunter to keep his head while he calibrates that ELRC cannon. I'm not risking him in unknown combat unless absolutely necessary."

"It takes more than one man to maintain an experimental cannon like that. Why isn't he combat rated?" Shepard asked, growing frustrated.

"It's not pertinent," Flores replied and opened her door and stepped inside. "Drop it."

Shepard watched her retreat as the doors slid shut on him.

* * *

**A/N:** So sorry for the long delay. Thanks for sticking with me folks! The bigger picture will start forming in the next few chapters. Until then, let me know what you think so far.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Location: Carte Blanche hotel—New Thebes, Capitol Colony of planet Anhur.**_

She had never fallen asleep on him in the past but nestling against the familiar contour of Mark's body made her want to do just that: drift off and never let him go again. They had such a good time through dinner that neither wanted to kill the moment by asking anything that would shatter the moment. But the problem was she had way too many questions and something told her he didn't want to fork over the answers. Mark seemed content in just holding her close and if she was honest with herself, she didn't mind one bit.

The plan was to run like hell and avoid all contact unless compromised. So if he was here...she didn't want to think about the others. Elena traced the faded burns on his chest, hoping an inspection of her handiwork would shut her brain up.

No such luck.

Mark's breathless chuckle met her ear when she grazed a rib. She stopped immediately and shot up to a sitting position on the bed. Her fingers hovered over the afflicted areas. "Shit. Does it still hurt?"

"It's a lot better than it was," Mark assured, reaching out to tug her down again. She resisted a whole two seconds before laying back down but keeping a small gap between them this time. "I'm alright, Elena. Looks like your biotic trick still works."

"You sound surprised," she teased, smiling into the crook of his neck.

Mark shifted unto his side and returned her smile when they were eye-to-eye again. Those bright blues always calmed her, promising her the ocean even on the shittiest of days. "Try relieved," he said in a low voice.

The rough stubble of his jaw tickled her fingers, intermingling with his puffs of breath. The relief went both ways. Just seeing the color return to his skin was enough...for now.

Everything they did was risky, but hiding this—_them_—from superiors was tough. It started with a few late nights that grew into something casual. They took turns ducking surveillance and were careful to vary the locations until she finally got her own place off-site. Like all new relationships, the physical was easy, but getting to know the person inside and out was huge, scary at times. Despite their intimacy, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of man Mark Kassel really was. Sure she already knew a lot about his family. Only child, both parents dead just like hers. But her curiosity was insatiable. Did he like rainy days? What about his favorite color or first love? It all seemed childish and yet it's these little sentimental facts that mattered to her.

But her fluffy questions would have to wait. This wasn't the time or the place for that it was time to figure shit out.

"Mark...," she said, hating herself because his look of pure bliss melted when she got serious. "What happened?"

Mark blinked slowly but didn't say a word. Those blue eyes did the talking and Elena felt her resolve fading fast. She wanted nothing more than to take that flicker of pain in his eyes away but she needed answers.

Mark rolled onto his back and breathed deeply. "I ran like you said. We all did."

Here it was, the moment to bear the bad news and take it. She was ready.

"But then what?" She prompted, nestling into the soft pillow that still held his scent.

He shot her a sideways smile. "I missed you too damn much, that's what."

Elena attempted to frown but lost out to a hopeless grin. This man had to stop sweet talking her or else she wouldn't be responsible for her actions, fresh wounds be dammed!

"Then why are you here and not on Earth?" Elena inquired, her eyes fluttering when he trailed a warm hand along her arm, stopping at the nape of her neck.

His fingers did wonderful things to the sensitive groove near her ear. "I thought we just went over that?"

All the tension she carried for the past six months suddenly evaporated, replaced by his soothing attention. The distance between them was closing fast. She didn't want to hurt him but the feel of his palm gently caressing her cheek pulled their lips closer.

"And you just...what? Asked the hotel staff if they booked an ex-Cerberus operative?" She breathed against him, dodging his attempt to silence her with a kiss. Mark's lips met her neck instead and before she could realize her tactical error his arms snaked over and pulled her close.

Elena shivered under the sensation of rough stubble lightly grazing her sensitive skin. He slid a hand under her shirt and slowly traced her spine, a breath hitched in her throat. Eyes fighting to stay open, she brought her hands up to tangle in his hair hoping to pull him back but the feeling of running her fingers through soft silky strands nearly pushed her over the edge.

"Would've saved me some time..." Mark mumbled against her skin, while his hand found the clasp of her bra. "God, I've missed you."

He drew back and caught her lips in a languid kiss, gentle but forceful enough to let his words sink in. "I missed you too," she whispered, between breaths as she tried to sit up. Mark attempted to rise with her, but grimaced against her lips.

Elena instantly drew back and eased him down again. This was definitely not a good idea, he was lucky that arm wasn't broken as she had initially thought, just sprained. Yet despite that she was having a hard time resisting his advances. They had so much to catch up on.

The apologetic look in his clear blue eyes broke her heart. "You know I could work past the pain."

"And you know that I'll kill you, if you try," Elena said with a wink before leaning in for a light kiss. Mark tried to keep her close but she dodged him again and settled her hand over his that cupped her breast beneath her shirt. "Spill it, Kassel. How did you find me?"

"I knocked on every door," he said with a devious smile as he knead her breast, "asking if anyone's seen a supermodel. And if she'd like company."

"Ha, ha," Elena replied sarcastically as she lowered his hand from the hypersensitive area and entwined their fingers. He had a silver tongue that could get her in bed on the shittiest of days. But they couldn't afford that luxury here, especially if he was being hunted. "Come on, Mark?"

"I knew you always wanted to retire here one day, you like the ocean, 'noisy seagulls beat hover car engines any day'," he teased, earning him a light smack. "So I figured you'd be spending your time at the best seaside hotel in Anhur." At her impressed look he added, "it also helps that you used 'Evelyn Creed' as a cover. Wouldn't have picked you out otherwise."

Damn. So the old credentials had to go. Evelyn Creed had been a part of her toolkit for much longer than Cerberus regs allowed, but they left before she could switch them for new ones. Now they were on their own. It would cost a shitload of credits to swap it in the underground and she was already running low.

"How good are your contacts in this area?" Elena asked, realizing he must have had some if he was able to track her down.

"Not very, otherwise I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in," Mark said, watching her with curiosity. She reached out to smooth his hair. "Why?"

"We're going to need new credentials," she said, looking down to him as she combed her fingers through his jet black hair.

Mark squeezed her other hand in a comforting gesture. "We'll be fine. I know a guy I can trust."

"Good, so before we go meet him can you tell me what went wrong?" she asked, as her gaze dropped to his bruised body. He would have scars to add to his scars, and looked like he needed a good rest. But she also needed to know who to watch out for.

His blue eyes darkened with frustration before something akin to regret surfaced. She hated seeing him like this when all his anger turned inwards. It wasn't right.

"Elena...let it go," he pleaded, and she took comfort in the fact that he promised he would never lie to her.

"Look, it's okay," she said gently. Maybe this wasn't the best thing to talk about, especially if there were casualties. "If we're all that's le..."

"What?" Mark raised a confused brow before it hit him. "No, it's not like that. The others are still alive...the last time I checked. But you won't like this."

The flicker of hope was short lived as Elena wondered about what she wasn't going to like. "So you were just minding your business alone and a group of batarians attacked you?"

"Yes," Mark replied, putting his arms behind his head and giving her a sideways glance.

"Mark?" she pressed, getting tired of the murky picture.

He wouldn't look at her. She snaked a finger to his jaw and turned his head back her way, but his eyes remained averted, ashamed even.

Not knowing what else to do Elena ducked and brushed his lips lightly with her own. The fleeting moment of tension eased away as he responded, pulling her closer. But just as soon as it started, she drew back enough to watch him carefully, pleading for any type of answer.

"Tell me," she whispered, slowly, hoping her voice would be enough for him to spill it now.

She felt his heart quicken beneath her palm. Those clear blue eyes no longer looked earnest as he said, "I wanted to sell the Hammerhead project."

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Docking bay, Cerberus Frigate 'Albatross', drifting the outer orbit of the Newton System in stealth mode.**_

Lt. General Oleg Petrovsky felt every throb of his heartbeat as he watched the team prepare. Sveta and Dima were fast and efficient, making sure nothing but the absolute necessities were packed. But it was Banes' utter lack of gear that had him panicked from the start. How were his people supposed to trust this man to be their squad leader? He had nothing but a Gorgon assault rifle. No secondary weapon, no shields, nothing but the sleeveless suit and black dress pants.

If that rifle overheated then his people would have the impossible task of keeping Banes safe while completing the objective. It was reckless.

"I think you're forgetting something," Dima spoke up when he saw Banes approach the shuttle.

Banes stopped and turned to them with a sickeningly sweet smile. "I have everything I need, tough guy."

"And if that rifle overheats? You expect us to cover you," Sveta spoke, snapping the straps of her pack as she approached.

"Worried about me**,** sweetheart?" Banes moved out of her way as she passed into the shuttle. Petrovsky moved closer with Dima. "No need. It is I who will be protecting you and tough guy over there. So don't worry your pretty face." Banes hopped in and took a seat next to her. "Now how about a kiss for good luck?"

"Settle down, Banes," Petrovsky growled, unable to help himself. If it were up to him this man would be terminated and his brain would be studied by Cerberus' top scientists. "You have a mission to lead. I need your focus."

Banes' unnerving smirk didn't waiver as he gave Petrovsky a lazy salute. "Don't worry**,** Ivan. I'll take real good care of your precious cargo."

"General, we are ready for takeoff," the voice of the pilot sounded over the intercom. That was his cue to step off the platform and let the shuttle fly, but he was hesitant to do so. If anything happened to his people, Banes would never see the light of morning again. He would make sure of that.

"Ivan**,** you have trust issues my friend," Banes replied before putting an arm over Dima and Sveta on either side of him. "We look forward to working closely."

"I will personally oversee this mission. If you stray from the objective I won't hesitate to exterminate you, Banes," Petrovsky said before backing away.

As the shuttle took off, Petrovsky hoped The Illusive Man was right about Banes.

**o~O~o**

The busy medical staff didn't spare Jeremy a glance as they rushed past. He managed to clean and bandage up his own wounds before donning this disguise. Now his stolen lab coat and scrubs made him look important enough to avoid. But it was only a matter of moments before doctor 'Matthews'**,** as the name tag said**, **would be looking for his coat and car keys. Jeremy smiled, watching his charge from the other side of the observation glass.

The monitors showed a steady pulse for the lucky bastard named Caplus Stark. Lying on a premiere medical recliner bed he looked like a pincushion with all the needles and monitoring equipment sticking out of him. Heck**,** the poor boy had a mushroom of a bandage around his head and a few bruises to boot.

A true badass.

Jeremy stood by casually as he checked the kid's file, a few broken ribs from the portion of concrete that fell on him, a mild concussion and some dehydration. He'd be up and out of here in no time.

Satisfied that the kid would be in good hands, Jeremy replaced the data file and gingerly moved away. When he woke up**, **the entire complex would be one big investigation, if it weren't already. That didn't put a lot of time on the clock to haul ass and move on. But was it safe to break schedule and head for Earth?

Jeremy flattened himself against the wall as an ER patient was wheeled past. Multiple techs were trying to resuscitate the victim but even he could tell it was much too late for that now. Climbing into the elevator shut the door on that grim fate. He rode it all the way to the roof parkade, ignoring the curious looks from some senior staffers who wanted to ask him questions about the light cuts on his face but thought better of it. Which was good, since he was in no mood for bullshit. The entire world depended on him keeping his messed up tech away from a rogue group and there was no one in hell that would stop him.

The elevator pinged at its final destination and Jeremy confidently strode out in search of his getaway vehicle. It was no surprise that Dr. Matthews was loaded. The bright red hover car was the very latest design in sports cars. Hell it was almost a shame to subject this beauty to the sand-struck conditions of this windy day, but there was no time to be picky.

After strapping himself in, Jeremy keyed the coordinates for the storage blocks. The magnetic locks disengaged and the car hovered in place. Gunning the engine, Jeremy whooped in delight when the mini-mass effect core engaged and shot him out of the parkade. Getting away in style reminded him of why he loved this job so much.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Location: Firebase Dagger—Ontarom**_

A military base was not the most dignified place to hold a press conference, but Brock sure knew how to party and make the most of it anyways. The east portion of the dark side was transformed into a panel. The splash screen behind it displayed the Alliance symbol so as to obscure the thick forest beyond. The pipe works were now a semi-respectable gathering place complete with caterers preparing some tasty appetizers. The seats were reserved by order of importance, with Brock and anyone he deemed worthy of making him look good, sitting in the middle.

Reporters from every major news station across the galaxy flooded into the compound. They were greeted by servicemen and techs who had orders to give them their full attention. But the marines were really just buffers between the nosey ones and the sensitive intelligence.

Everyone streaming in either had money or knew how to pretend they did. Most of the female reporters left little to the imagination, with their tight curve hugging dresses. No one seemed concerned for the unpredictable weather, but that was a given since Brock had his team erect a force field over the compound so for now the clear sun radiated through the transparent bubble of energy. In the event of a sandstorm, everyone below was safe from anything short of a meteor shower.

As the last of the stragglers moved in, Liam leaned on the railing and allowed himself to relax. There was real booze around so the chances of anyone asking personal questions after the presentation were slim. From his spot on the east approach he could see four of the twelve outposts. So even if the big wigs lost themselves in politics at least there were enough marines out there prepared for anything.

"Well aren't we looking good," Ellie said appraisingly as she came up beside him. She was pretty in an indigo dress, it was a style from Earth that had a classic but striking beauty to it, something the Europeans were known for.

"You look nice there yourself, Ellie," Liam replied, making a show of admiring her from head to toe. He pushed back from the railing and looked over to the gathering crowd. The reporters were already jousting for the best seats. "Excited?"

Ellie reached out and began fixing his tie distractedly. Liam smiled but didn't say anything. He knew he did it right, but if a pretty woman wanted to put her hands on him then who was he to complain?

"For the disaster this is going to be? No." She raised her face and gave him a hopeful smile. "But hey, if I get to rub elbows with the rich and enjoy a day out of uniform. I'll take it!" She said. He could feel her hands leave his tie.

A flicker of worry crossed her face before it was replaced with an impenetrable mask. Her hands dropped to her sides as she looked back at the gathering crowd.

"Everything alright?" Liam asked, reaching out for her elbow. She wasn't even going on stage and she was worried. If that was the case then he didn't know how he himself should react.

"Oh yeah," she huffed, and gave a small shrug. "Just trying to remember how to talk to people again. I get nervous at these things."

"You'll be fine," he assured, knowing full well that something else was the matter but deciding to let it rest for now. There was more than enough to process without trying to play therapist as well."Can't say the same thing about Brock."

The man in question was already shaking hands and greeting his guests. His beefy stature looked comical against the stick thin socialites and political figures of Endeavor.

The snap of pictures and hum of cam drones reverberated through the air. The Captain was already being bombarded with questions but she looked to be taking it in stride as she kept her pace with Preston. It was hard to see her through the cluster of reporters, but the Staff Commander stood out like a sore thumb. Preston glared at him as he walked by with Flores.

Liam thought back to their earlier encounter. The Staff Commander practically threw a fit when he protested against Brock's mother of all debriefs.

**~O~**

_**2 hours earlier…**_

_Liam felt his back spasm as Preston threw him against the wall and shoved an elbow to his throat. He was stronger than he looked. _

"_What do you think you're doing, Shepard?"Preston asked, bringing his weather-beaten face close to his own. Liam could see the faint lines of battle making their mark on the older man's features. He wasn't ancient by any stretch of the imagination, but there was experience there Liam only hoped to gain one day._

"_My job...bastard took...witness," Liam choked out, feeling his throat tense dangerously under the strain. He debated taking him on, but having one more _enemy_ wasn't a wise move._

_Preston backed away and Liam slumped to the ground, breathing hard. "Tell me what is on Brock's shoulders?"_

"_What?" Liam looked up to his Staff Commander as if he were insane._

"_What symbol is on his shoulder!" __Preston demanded._

_Liam thought fast, military drill kicking in as Preston was replaced with a villa instructor. "Stars, sir."_

"_Exactly. The man has stars, Shepard and as long as you don't, you'll do exactly as he says. No questions asked." Preston bristled, his facial hair making him look like a grizzly. "Am I clear?"_

"_Crystal," Liam replied roughly as he watched him storm away._

**~O~**

"Okay," Ellie said, watching the cluster pass before turning her inquiring gaze to Shepard. "What's that all about?"

Shaking his head he smiled back. "Long story. We should go before all the good seats are taken."

"Did you forget you've got the mother of all guest of honor chairs?" she said, taking his arm to steady herself as they started down the ramp.

Liam closed his eyes. That's right, he was all the way at the end of the panel table between the asari and the rich guy.

Speaking of which, they were all waiting off to the side with Vega as their babysitter. He didn't look half bad in a black monkey suit and armed with an avenger rifle. _Your classic bodyguard_. When James saw him and Ellie, he gave a thumbs up accompanied by a toothy grin.

Thankfully Ellie didn't see Liam's own return gesture as she stopped and took everything in with those sly eyes. "Hey." She gave Liam a beseeching look. "Just try to take it easy, enjoy yourself."

With a final pat on the back she joined Casey and Gordon near the mid-row, leaving Liam to face the podium alone. Preston and Flores were already seated along with some silver haired business guy that screamed trust fund. He guessed that to be Heyuan Genomics' CEO Roland Price. Taking a seat beside him Liam channeled his inner war hero interviewee persona and held a decent conversation.

Or at least he would have, had he been capable of forming a sentence. Once the cloud of people left Flores, all he could do was stare. She looked gorgeous. So different from her every day captain's blues. The red mid-length dress attracted all eyes to her and for some weird reason it threw Brock into a jealous fit as he barreled through the crowd towards his attention hogging seat in the middle.

Roland was smart enough to know when he was being so blatantly ignored, but the old man didn't seem offended as he peeked sideways and smiled. "Beautiful isn't she?"

"You have no idea," Liam replied, careful to put his eyes back to his companion when Flores glanced his way.

**o~O~o**

Someone had enough sense to invite DJ Madura. Thanks to her, all the Earth-based electronic tunes from eras past lit up the after party. Reporters that spent the entire night trying to poke holes in their press release were now dancing with reckless abandon, arms flailing and bodies twitching to some beat from Rom Di Prisco.

The pipeworks were the perfect blend of mingling ground and dance floor. All the hard tiled surfaces reflected carefully positioned strobe lights, while the sandy grounds were covered with steel sheets the marines laid out earlier. Since most of the guests were downstairs Liam found it slightly more private by the outlook and took his call there.

There were few things better than seeing mom for the first time in four years. Sure she could be a little less pissed and a lot more understanding of the fact that he looked dead tired, but that was mom.

"And what business did that woman have dragging your family life into it?" Hannah demanded as if he had all the answers.

Liam shrugged honestly. "Mom, she's a reporter. They're trying to get the juicy details so they can sell stories. You know how this works."

Hannah's dark brown eyes narrowed in fury. She swept the bright red hair behind her ear and said, "I know that right about now I prefer your sister's approach."

He laughed at the memory of Fiona knocking Al-Jilani flat on her ass. It was the first interview Fi did after Akuze and thankfully the last. Yet as much as he agreed with his sister's actions it put the rest of them on Khalisah's shit list.

It was difficult to switch topics and get her to stop nagging about his sleep. So he pulled the sibling card. "How's she doing?"

"Your sister is back on Earth, 56th regiment under Major Coats once again." Hannah said, her light brown eyes shone with pride through holo-com. "She's up to Staff Lieutenant but of course I had to hear it from the Major. Your dad would be proud."

The warm sensation of relief flooded his system. Ever since Akuze he was worried sick about his little sister Fiona, fearing that she'd fall to the Shepard curse of drowning in FUBAR missions. But she bounced back faster than anyone could've predicted and he was glad to see the Alliance was quick to acknowledge that with a promotion.

"That's great news, mom," he replied as his smile melted when his thoughts turned to his little brother. It'd been three years since Torfan. "And how's Jarhead?"

"John is on some special assignment right now. But I'm hearing rumors that they're thinking of making him XO under Captain Anderson once that new frigate is finished," she said with a happy smile. "And congratulations to you too honey, it's been a long time coming."

"Anderson's the best there is. John will be in good hands," he replied, trying to keep her encouragement at arms length. He remembered how strict his parents were, hell his dad was a downright hard ass but now he knew why. Everything they ever did was to prepare him and his siblings for war. It was just the way things were.

Her projected expression flickered between understanding and pity. He hated that look. Mom had this ability to know when something was bothering him, and he didn't want to ruin this reunion by explaining the bizarre broadcast she likely just saw.

"I'm glad you're finally off X-19, Liam." she said slowly. "You know no one blames—"

"—I'm alright," Liam replied, not wanting to dwell on that place. He was grateful they banished him to guard duty and not a psych ward after Elysium. "I'm just glad it's over."

Someone sounded in the background and Hannah Shepard nodded before looking back. "If that's the case then I want to get more than just one message every four years from my own son. Do you hear me?"

Liam nodded with a grin. "I hear."

"Good," she said before adding, "So my grandson's birthday is approaching..."

Shepard perked up and sat straighter. He talked to Mikey regularly and knew the boy was excited. This year he was finally old enough for the derby. "Yeah, I ordered his gift already. I've been hoping to touch base with Fi so she could pick up the racer."

Hannah shook her head, and tucked a few loose orange strands beneath her naval cap. "Sasha will be okay with her son entering the derby?"

"She hasn't been opposed," he replied, mulling it over. He loved watching the kid own the field in dodgeball, but it was the pure wonder for all things fast that really got Michael's attention. "I want to be there when he sees it."

"Then make it happen," Hannah said sharply before easing back on her tone, "that boy is growing, Liam. I don't want you to miss out on that."

Mom was always defensive when it came to Mikey. He pitied any poor schmucks who ever dared to make his boy's life hell.

"I don't either," Liam assured with a smile.

Someone sounded in the background and Hannah Shepard nodded before looking back. "Well I should go before this ship falls apart. Try to avoid that Al-Jilani woman, I don't want a galaxy wide embarrassment."

"I'll try, but no promises." He smiled at her widening grin.

Hannah Shepard signed off, leaving Liam with his thoughts as the party continued to rage around him. A lot of people were asking questions about Sasha's personal life. But what she did or didn't do with her new boyfriend was Sasha's business. What did it matter to him? He leaned back against the rails and yanked on his tie, there was no sense in keeping up appearances when the reporters below were too drunk to ask any real questions.

Only Brock was chatting up the last of the sober ones near west wing while Flores was below with some Diana Allers woman. She was clearly a new reporter since she kept getting outstaged by hogs like Khalisa Al-Jilani. In a surprising turn of events Brock and Flores worked together and kept the newshounds focused on the real story. After all that, the Captain wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"Sup, Shep...she aint' gonna...dance by herself..." Glen slurred at his right, held steady by Ellie who was under his arm.

"You going to be okay, Glen?" Liam asked, hovering a cautious hand near his suit-clad back just in case Glen thought he had wings.

"Had a few too many, but should be fine as a chipper come morning," Ellie said, being careful to keep Glen from swaying. "Done a number on you isn't that right, Glen?"

"I be alright...Shep." Glen shook his head, making the dark shades over his eyes quake. The dreaded hangover was probably doing a number on him from last night's adventures in the officer lounge party. Heck come to think of it, seemed like every night was a party on the Dub. How did anyone get any work done?

"Okay, that's it. You're coming with me to see Chakwas, let's go," Ellie said, and despite Glen's protests she managed to drag him by the hand. Liam started to follow but stopped when she issued a strict order. "You're not leaving here until you dance, Commander. Heck if I went through the ringer tonight there'd be scotch in my hands too."

"I don't dance," Liam said, reaching for Glen's other arm. But the Vanguard was on Ellie's side and pulled away too.

"Nope, you're staying Shepard. At least ask the captain to dance," Ellie hollered but her request was drowned out to the sound of music.

Liam smiled as he watched them stumble away. He remembered the handful of shore leaves on Earth where he along with his siblings were hell bent on learning how to dance. Ten lessons between the three of them sent ballroom, hip-hop and contemporary dance teachers running for the hills.

The only people missing were Liara, Vega and the Captain who basically disappeared after her interview with Allers.

Laughter sounded close by, Liam smiled as Vega and Liara joined him at the west approach rails. The scientist wore a deep blush while Vega, still in his bodyguard persona, aimed her a goofy grin.

"Hey Shepard," they stopped before him, "doc says she can't dance. I don't believe that."

Liara looked flustered in her modest green form fitting dress. Unlike her colleagues it didn't show as much skin. It was like prom night for the shy girl and Vega was the meathead trying to hit on her.

"See Vega's a pro," Liam said, addressing Liara. "He's just itching to show us his moves."

"Nah, loco, I'm on guard duty. Flores would kill me," Vega stammered, sobering up a bit.

"I don't think she'll mind." Liam smiled when Liara did.

Vega was about to make another rebuttal when Preston shouted from his perch near the control array's entrance. "Get to it, chief. I'll watch over your charges."

"Ha, no can do sir. I take my job very seriously," Vega shouted back.

"They seem good at it," Liara said, watching the small crowd on the dance floor below. "Very skilled."

"Casey's one of them," Liam added. That perked Vega's ears as he shoved closer for a look. One of Roland Price's managers was matching Casey move for move.

"On second thought, I'll be back." Vega rushed downstairs and fluidly joined the rest. But instead of cutting in, he had his own growing entourage which now included Diana Allers.

"Not what I expected." Liam backed away from the rails and looked to his companion. "How's the night treating you?"

"Well, thank you," Liara replied, gliding a single finger along the steel railing. "I'm not really in the right frame of mind to dance...unless of course you wanted to, not that you have to!" Liam only stared blankly so Liara smacked a palm to her head. "Goddess...I've embarrassed myself again."

"I think the dance floor is crowded enough. Besides, we could both use a break from the conference," he said, meaning to put a gentle hand to the small of her back but let it fall to his side instead. There was no need to make this any more uncomfortable than it already was for the poor girl. "What did you think of it?"

"You're referring to the conference?" She looked his way. He nodded. "I wish they hadn't asked so many questions regarding my mother. But I'm fine now," she said before he could appease that wound. "However, they seemed to pry into your personal life too."

Liam nodded, feeling his jaw tense when Al-Jilani's questions drifted back into his mind. While everyone else focused on the mission, she was the only one bringing Sasha and her new boyfriend CEO of Hahne-Kedar Shadow works, Shawn Ackerson**,** to the table. Nearly threw him into a fit. Thankfully Brock was too much of an attention hog to let that line of questioning continue, while the Captain shot down any subsequent attempts. They were a surprisingly effective team, comfortable working with each other, at least in public.

"I'm sorry if that question offended you," Liara stammered out, making him realize he hadn't said a word.

"No. It's not that. Don't worry about it." He shook his head but could see the damage was done when Liara excused herself. Preston was already down the ramp and following her like he promised.

A good hour later the dance floor was packed and everyone moved to Jamiroquai's 'alright'. The ancient track struck a good mood as people were too busy shouting 'Well spend the night together, say hello to forever!' to notice who was in their company. Everyone was completely sloshed now. The cam drones were put away as reporters lost themselves in a rave like frenzy. Brock was in the middle, not actually drunk but enjoying the attention many of the women flashed him as they itched for one last quote. The team of asari were naturals and already locking lips with the likes of Roland Price and others too drunk to care. Casey was still down there, oblivious to the fact that rich men with actual moves were obscuring her from James. She seemed to be the only one oblivious to Vega's attention hogging moves with Allers, but boy were they putting on a show.

The click of heels took his attention from the dance floor and towards his rapidly approaching Captain.

Her dress swirled with each step of her stilettos. It covered her shapely legs and left a lot to the imagination, he couldn't tear his eyes away. Instead of heavy makeup that most of the women downstairs donned, Flores opted to keep hers natural, with just a hint of smokey eye to accentuate those brown irises. The modest V cut of her dress made promises that were too much to share in public. It seemed like Preston's stoney face was the only buffer between her and the many admirers she cultivated over the evening but dismissed with one glare.

"I never realized Vega could dance," she mused, watching the scene below as their favorite ops chief, swooped an unsuspecting Diana Allers in his arms and twirled her around eliciting cheers from the rest.

"He's got moves I'll give him that," Liam replied, before settling with his back to the rails as he studied Flores. "Thanks for coming to the rescue when they zeroed in on family values."

Flores spared him an 'are you kidding me?' look. "It was none of their goddamned business. This entire press conference was just a farce."

Liam laughed at that. "I dunno, ma'am. We're still standing aren't we?"

She graced him with a tired smile that spoke to him all on its own. "Tell me something good, Shepard."

It took him a moment to deduce what _good _actually meant in her vocabulary, before eventually deciding on something mission related. "I talked to Roland Price. He seems to have nothing to do with this hostage fiasco. I think it's clear as day that ExoGeni stands to gain something from this, but it's hard to see what."

"Good. I asked Brock about your witness, he's hoping to work his magic on ExoGeni but made no promises." Flores took all that in but he must have miscalculated because that look of exhaustion only intensified. For the first time he saw fleeting panic in those eyes, however brief it was strong enough to make him reach out and place his hand to the small of her back without thinking.

"We'll figure this out, then we'll find your sister." His palm danced with electricity, he could feel the energy of the strong smooth flesh beneath that dress. It was that same energy which made him feel bold tonight and tired of being on the dance floor sidelines. "I also think you look gorgeous, ma'am."

That got her attention as she turned to him abruptly. He could see in her wide brown eyes that she wasn't expecting that and didn't know how to react. But that sweet surprise lasted moments before the competent captain took over, her indulgent smile returned. "Well...thank you."

She moved and Liam let his hand drop but not his gaze. Once again he was held captive by those brown eyes that seemed to beg for more without saying a word. "Would you like to dance?"

God was listening because suddenly a closing song started playing. One of those slow ones meant for couples who wanted to sway on the spot and remember the night forever, he recognized it as that ancient Top Gun ballad. Flores did too as her smile was followed up with a light laugh. "I don't dance, Shepard."

"Neither do I," he recovered, "but the standard looks pretty low." He reached out to rub the back of his head, a nervous habit from highschool times and just plain annoying now.

She shook her head with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I should be heading back now. Thanks for keeping me posted."

"Anytime," he replied quietly, somewhat disappointed but happy that they were back on good terms.

**o~O~o**

Ontarom's sun fired up the morning sky and drenched the world in orange. It would've looked serene and peaceful to anyone wanting a fun day in the busy colony. The only problem was that it wasn't day.

Shepard stifled a yawn and heard Vega do the same as they escorted the freed asari to their enviably elegant ship. He tried hard to swallow his aborted confrontation with Brock. The bastard was lucky Preston came in when he did. If he hadn't, Ontarom would've needed a new colonel.

"Can't believe it's morning already," Vega said, interrupting the uncomfortable tension radiating from the scientists.

"It's not morning," Shepard said, trusting his internal clock alongside the dossier on Ontarom's strange cycles.

"Yes. This is an eclipse cycle," Liara said, perking up with wide curious eyes. "Ontarom has three suns that take turns rising prematurely due to the planets' alternating rotation; we're still studying the accelerated phenomena. It should dissipate into nightfall in roughly one hour."

"All the more reason we better get home. We wouldn't want someone's mommy to worry," Sithandra said from up ahead of them with the other asari, including Liara's silent supporter.

"Don't listen to them," Shepard said, trying to cheer her up, "there's a reason you're in charge."

"Thank you," she said in a meek attempt to pass it off, but he could tell their words cut deep. Poor girl, she was only trying to do her damn job.

As they got closer the full size of the ship hit him. It was smaller than the Dub, but not _that _much smaller. If the asari decided to arm this thing they'd have a formidable if not slightly oversized frigate. Breathing deeply Liam fought his urge to put the mantis to good use. These guys were harmless. Brock's ridiculous press conference proved that much. No need to stoke the fire.

"Please forgive me if I sound ignorant but was that normal procedure?" Liara's voice cut through his thoughts.

Liam scrunched his brow and glanced over to the asari. "Is what a normal procedure?"

"Back at the base, your leader Brock allowed us a chance to tell our story to your people. I've never had such an opportunity," Liara said, sounding almost grateful.

"Yeah..." Liam eyed her with a weary sigh remembering how Brock single-handedly took credit for rescuing the scientists. The reporters ate it up, but he felt the tension back on base mainly among the other marines who knew the real story. "He likes to show off. Don't be surprised if only half of what you said makes it to the extranet."

Liara didn't seem to get the apology but held off any further questions. Thankfully Vega filled the rest of the silence when the sun began to set.

"Finally," Vega rejoiced, when they were near the ship's doors. The other asari didn't even wait for Liara as they all filed in expertly. "There you go."

"Thank you," Liara said, coming to a stop well before the door, much to Liam's dismay. Couldn't they just go already? But a part of his gut clenched at the thought of possible mutiny aboard that ship. "We wouldn't be here if it weren't for the two of you."

"It was not a problem," Liam replied, as he watched the sun extinguish and cast Ontarom's surface back into darkness. The ship's proximity lights kept things well lit.

Vega cleared his throat loudly, letting them know he was an active observer in this conversation of values. "Hey it's getting dark, Commander."

When Liara finally looked up he caught her big blue eyes in his own gaze. "It's never going to be clear cut, Liara. And sometimes the rules won't be enough to keep them safe. I wish it were different."

"So do I," she said sadly, but smiled despite that. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Liam replied and felt himself return the smile. She's a good kid, just needs some experience and practice.

"I didn't catch your full name, Commander," she asked shyly.

"Liam," he answered only to jump when Sithandra hollered from the megaphone.

"Get in Liara! We don't have all day—night whatever."

Shaking her head with a wistful smile she backed away. "Thank you Liam. I hope to one day have your confidence."

With that she left and sealed her fate on the ship. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to keep them grounded for another day, but some piece of hope trusted her judgment.

Vega's footfalls sounded beside him as they both watched the ship take off. It hovered gracefully. The mass effect cores didn't make a sound as they gained altitude and disappeared from view in the blink of an eye.

"You feel good about letting her go?" Vega asked, watching the starlit sky for any sign of them.

Shaking his head lightly Liam tried not to think about it. "No. But she'll be fine. She's new but shows potential."

"Hope you're right." Vega led the way back to the Mako where Hunter waited patiently. "Hey, what's up with you and Brock? He went out of his way to make sure you didn't get a word in."

Liam gave him a dismissive shrug, remembering how Brock cut in to answer every question aimed at him. "You ever understand the entitled?"

"Nope."

"Me neither," Liam said as they climbed in and Hunter gunned the engine.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Location: Carte Blanche hotel—New Thebes, Capitol Colony of planet Anhur.**_

The tiny cleaning robot sailed out the sixth story window. Elena closed her fist and the robot was crushed to smithereens in mid-air. Its pieces fell to the sand and were nibbled by the ocean.

With that behind them Elena slung the bag over her shoulder and slammed the door shut behind them. After Mark's unabridged explanation of just how far up shit creek they've sailed, she knew it was time to put this place in their rear-view mirror.

As they walked down the hallways she could feel him sneaking glances her way, trying to read her mood. They hadn't spoken since she threw a fit and nearly killed him earlier. "Elena..."

"Save it." She stood with her back to him and mashed the elevator button. It was hard to be like that, but she knew one look of hurt from his blue eyes would win her losing simply wasn't an option right now. So she took a deep breath and did what she did best in a shitty situation: pretending she was Dana. Just thinking about her sister's calm demeanor sent a ripple of hope to her overtaxed mind. Elena smiled faintly at the mental image of her sibling, the textbook example of 'cool under fire'. _Why couldn't she be here with me just this once?_

The elevator pinged on arrival and broke her train of thought. She strode inside, still very aware of Mark's sluggish movement behind her. The poor guy was still in agony. Medi-gel was fantastic when it came to sealing wounds but it was a poor substitute for a needed rest.

Elena tried to squash her growing concern and stay focused. They watched the descending numbers on the holo-screen in silence. "You're overreacting," Mark said softly.

That took her over the edge. "The fucking hammerhead, Mark? Are you insane? Do you know what they could do to us with a fleet of those?" Elena snapped, searching him for any sign that this was all a joke.

"I said I tried. I didn't actually go through with it, hence why they jumped me." Mark explained for the tenth time, setting his own solid gaze on hers. But it softened instantly. "Don't do this, El. Not now," Mark pleaded as he reached for her.

Elena dodged his touch as if avoiding an asteroid. A part of her wanted to forget this, climb back into bed and have some incredible make-up sex. But the officer in her was raging, blaming herself for such a stupid oversight. A mistake that could have cost everyone everything. This betrayal cut deep and for the first time in her Cerberus career she was forced to listen to the roar of blame her conscience sent her way. _Pack your bags Elena, you're going on a guilt trip! _

Cooling the swirl of biotics surrounding her, Elena dug for her Evelyn Creed credentials and walked out as soon as the doors opened. The plan was to duck the drones and leave via tram when night fell, but now only one thing mattered and that was getting to Selina before the batarians made anymore offers to her operatives.

"Elena can we at least talk about this?" Mark asked, trying to plead with her as he kept pace. "I'm not going to watch you blame yourself."

Elena stared up at him as if he grew a third head. "I blame _you_ for this mess," Elena said, not believing a word of it and feeling something in her heart break at the wounded look he gave her. "And you put Selina in harm's way...I—I just can't believe you."

"Selina decided on her own terms," he explained, but she heard the bitter undercurrent of anger in his voice. She just wasn't sure if it was self directed or not. Yet once again there was no time to sit down and figure it out. With any luck they would nab Selina before the scheduled meet two weeks from now on one of the most festive days of the year. This was supposed to be the time for a slam dunk, not an emergency rescue mission for fuck's sakes. Their personal shit would have to wait.

Stopping in the middle of the greeting area, Elena took a deep breath. _Don't do anything stupid, just think like Dana. Think like Dana._

"We don't have time for this," she declared, raising a hand to stop his stream of questions. "You need to get your contact on the line to cook up some new credentials. We head for Earth soon as we find Selina." Feeling confident with her orders Elena sidestepped him and headed for the bored looking batarian at reception.

The batarian female asked some questions about her stay here, the usual crap of how they can improve and what the reason is for an early checkout. Elena answered everything on autopilot as she filled out the necessary paperwork, all the while keeping an eye on Mark as he made the call.

Her senses were on high alert. She trusted Mark but something at the back of her head reminded her of Dana's words, _"Don't fuck it up, sis"_. Yeah, as if it were that simple to just play straight laced all the time and avoid the emotional minefield of a relationship.

Keeping up appearances,she smiled and joked with the batarian woman before leaving the desk. It was better not to seem rushed or anxious, just another tourist here on a visit.

As she made her way back to Mark, a group of travelers flooded through the front doors. One human couple had their hands full with two squirming babies. Their other little girl ran circles around both exhausted they headed for the reception, the little girl bounced her ball and naturally missed the catch. It rolled to a stop at Mark's feet.

Back in simpler times, which was crazy because there were no simple times at Cerberus, Elena wondered if Mark ever wanted kids. A part of her thought so, but it was a deal breaker and the thought of him rejecting the idea always held her back from asking.

Finishing his call, Mark scooped the ball. But instead of tossing it to the kid and leaving her be, he smiled and crouched low offering it back to the child.

"Hi sweetheart, is this yours?" The little girl nodded with a cautious smile but approached him nonetheless. She took it from his hands and skipped back to her oblivious parents. Mark only smiled after her before turning to Elena with a curious look. "What's up?"

She shook her head and tried to swallow a warm smile of her own. He was a bastard who didn't deserve one of those right now, but a sweet bastard nonetheless. "Nothing. We need to get going."

"Right." They walked past the young family. Elena ignored the fluttery warm feeling in her gut and forced herself to pay attention to his intel instead. "Gus is meeting us at his workshop. He's an old buddy of..."

Elena looked at him when he stopped talking only to find his small appreciative smile and that damn sexy twinkle in his eye. "Your buddy?" She asked.

"No, Jeremy's actually," Mark replied as he opened the door. A gust of cool night air carrying a mix of tropical scents engulfed them. "Things got hairy on that mission in Athens. Gus pulled our asses from the fire."

She felt his protective gaze on her again as they strolled to the tram platform, blending in with the locals. It's like he only had eyes for her, but as much as she liked that, she was also starting to find it annoying. "You're staring," she pointed out. She meant it sternly but it came out playfully. _What the hell is wrong with me today?_

"Am I?" Mark replied in a light tone that died when the tram came to a screeching halt before them. "This is us." Mark flicked his omni-tool closed and followed her as they boarded with everyone else. Hugging her jacket tighter around herself Elena mentally prepared herself in jumping head first into an abyss that wasn't going to turn into a golden fountain anytime soon.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Slums district warehouse/storage space—Endeavor colony, Ontarom.**_

Morning usually came with sun, at least that's how Jeremy was used to it. But pitch black at 0900 was Ontarom's way of doing things and last time he checked the guy upstairs didn't take requests.

Jeremy stepped through the warehouse threshold, leaving the rusted steel door open just a crack to keep an eye on the receding storm. No shuttle was going off-world in this shitstorm so there was nothing left to do but hunker down.

It didn't help that the minor injuries from the impact still stung like a motherfucker all night long. As if that weren't enough, a small flood beneath the rotted wood kept him busy with the task of bailing the excess water. Thankfully his hard night's work meant all of the equipment was dry along with the useless junk people stored here. But that also meant he was a full day behind Elena's schedule and that was going to piss her off. But the delay wasn't a total waste of time. Thankfully Gus managed to send him some bedtime reading, a complete dossier on Shepard with the classified bits and all. Now he had a better idea of who the Alliance sent after him and it wasn't pretty. The famed and disgraced hero of Elysium. Jeremy whistled as he re-read the illicitly declassified parts. So much blood on one man's hands…

Alliance investigators had no solid proof. However, that didn't stop top brass from hanging the guy out to dry on X-19. Heck it didn't take a genius to see that Cerberus would've been in his future, Shepard made the right call that day even if half the world would never know of it and the other half saw him as some monster.

Squatting by his pack, Jeremy yanked a pre-pasted toothbrush and stuck it in his mouth. The minty flavor calmed him as he brushed along the enamel and thought. Shepard's presence on Ontarom complicated things. If they were sending disgraced heroes after them then chances were that the Alliance had initiated clean sweep. They obviously wanted things to go quietly off the books. If they thought there was a chance of capturing any of them alive an entire unit of N7's would've been dispatched in Shepard's place, but that would mean accountability and sadly that wasn't going to happen here. No, the Alliance wasn't going to admit they lost an entire black ops branch let alone the best pieces of research to come from it.

The cold chain link of a storage cage met his back when he sank down to the sodden ground. He didn't care anymore. If the Alliance wanted them dead, was there even a point of trying to appeal to them on Earth? Hell maybe it was smarter to just keep the research for himself and out of military hands altogether... but what good is a gun you don't fire?

He shook those intrusive thoughts away. Elena believed that this was the right thing to do and her entire career was built on making tough calls. If she was crazy enough to think this would work then he was sure as fuck loyal enough to believe in her. They were good as dead either way anyways, so what the hell?

A draft came through the doors and Jeremy shivered. His shirt was still damp with the efforts of last night and his rugged work pants were less brown and muddier than he remembered. Police would probably be all over this place once that Stark kid woke up and told them about the _cop_ in the warehouse. But he was ready to go. Now if only those damn storm clouds would clear up, life would be a picnic. No regs, no 6am wake-up call just freedom to do his experiments as he pleased. Or in his case, almost being a fucking experiment.

_Banes you stupid fuck. _Jeremy shuddered when he remembered the first time Banes walked into his lab and not only took command but ordered him to step in as project phoenix's first test subject.

The experimental L4 biotic implants burned in the base of his skull at the memory. He was no biotic but it was the safest place for the only prototype of his prized research.

Taking a healthy swig of Scotch from his flask, Jeremy sloshed. The taste of mint turned bitter in his mouth and it wasn't long before the mess was a brown puddle on the floor. It seeped into the rotting wood and gave off a strong minty scent.

Jeremy stood and chucked the toothbrush and flask back into his pack before activating his omni-tool. The security cam decryptions were at 97%. In a matter of moments he would know the identity of whoever tripped Elena's alarm.

Making his way to Major's storage room, he returned to his handi-work. The chair he managed to liberate last night was now bolted to the ground with the nastiest electrodes running through it, capable of delivering five thousand kilo-joules straight to the spine. Interrogation would be so easy. Now, the hard part of finding some dumb Cerberus fuck to try it on.

Last night's logs showed familiar faces. Mrs. Ortega, the old land lady, was the last registered occupant to enter the building. Everyone else was accounted for earlier and there was no sign of...Jeremy squinted at the un-authorized access warning flickering on the list of visitors. Tapping forward he was met with a blank projection that read 'data deleted'.

Entering the normal workarounds to bypass the filters returned no results. Whoever this guy was, he was skilled enough to not only block his identity but wipe all building surveillance cams from picking him up.

Cycling from the building surveillance to his own peephole camera installed in Elena's desk drawer he got his man. Jeremy smiled, _gotcha you bastard! _The image quality wasn't the best but nothing an hour of image processing wouldn't fix. Unless...

Jeremy ran a back-hack, hoping to pick some trace of the specific program used to wipe the cameras. The type of tech in an attack could tell someone a lot about the person using it. If they were basic bits of code then it was some amateur on patrol, but anything encrypted was military special forces. Jeremy's eyes grew as he analyzed the wiping program. This was military alright..._that code...can it be? _It was no mistake. The codes that fried his cameras had the exact signature of the ones taught back at Cerberus. _Shit. _

He tried to back out and clear his tracks but the digital homing virus pinged his omni-tool. In a last ditch attempt Jeremy fired back with a tech worm before all the data on his omni-tool blanked as it shut down. _Shit, shit, shit!_

Running back to his pack, Jeremy began shoving what little of his possessions he had into his pack. There was no way of telling if his worm would slow the signal. But regardless, he needed to move now if he wanted the upper hand by the time Cerberus arrived to investigate.

Fully loaded, he hoisted the bag on one shoulder before the chair caught his eye. _Dismantle or leave it? Decisions, decisions..._

His heart pumped ice when he felt the unmistakable jab of a barrel meet the base of his skull. The cold steel rested dead center over where the world's only L4 implant was buried.

"Nice and slow, my booze-hound friend," the unmistakable voice behind him spoke. The pack was torn from Jeremy's shoulder with such force that he stumbled back only to get a swift kick in the thigh. "Keep those hands up and turn around."

Jeremy did as instructed only to find himself face-to-face with the last man he wanted to see and two others.

Armistan Banes gave a wide feral grin from behind his assault rifle. His good suit was missing sleeves, they looked to be savagely torn off to showcase his arms. The unnatural blue glow pulsed over his forearms, giving Jeremy twenty guesses as to who replaced him as a test subject.

"Banes**,** you son of a bitch," Jeremy said with a grin while keeping his hands raised. "Still think you're gonna turn biotic?"

The man let out a deranged laugh. His two subordinates didn't move as they kept their weapons on Jeremy. He couldn't see their faces behind their tinted helmets, but the new Cerberus orange and white colors told him all he needed to know.

"Dima, radio in for—" a Russian woman's voice was cut short when Banes buried a warning shot near her foot.

"What the hell!" **t**he other demanded, sounding like a man, another Russian. But he was so disciplined that his weapon never wavered from Jeremy.

"I'm in charge," Banes announced, dead serious as he looked between them. "We don't radio for a pick-up until I say so." Armistan Banes stepped forward, one foot after the other as he slowly made his way closer. "Jeremy and I need time to catch up." Banes inched forward until Jeremy could smell the stench of his breath, and grinned. "What do you say, partner?"

Banes slammed the butt of his assault rifle into Jeremy's face with incredible speed. Tangy metallic copper was all Jeremy could taste before the darkness took him.

**o~O~o**

**Location: SSV Dublin Mess Hall, Deck Four—Ontarom **

The smell of bacon, eggs and hash browns were a welcome wake-up call. Especially after last night's party. Liam slid his tray down the line, piling his plate with the goodness of morning breakfast as the serving crew made even more suggestions.

"I don't care what it's called, just lump it all together." Glen grumbled up ahead of him to some young server who was trying to unload some nutritious looking greens. "Whatever's necessary to make this ringing in my head stop."

"How are you feeling Glen?" Liam asked when the server handed him a second plate full of breakfast patties and eggs.

"Been better. My head's poundin'." Glen rubbed his temple gently before training a cautious eye on his own tray. "You eating for two?"

Liam shook his head and looked around for his friend. "I'm saving some grub for Vega. Haven't seen him yet and breakfast is almost over."

"Probably still hung over." Glen poured thick black coffee from the kettle into a standard mug. "You saw his dance moves last night, people only move like that when they're well sauced."

The dancing was intense last night, it was so good that Vega went viral on the extranet. Liam laughed at the vid he saw this morning and guessed Glen was probably right. "Maybe, but it'll take a lot more than booze to take him out completely."

Glen laughed then cringed at the motion. "Whatever you say, Shep."

Shepard and Gordon sat down to a chorus of tired grunts of acknowledgment. The crew was in various stages of devouring their breakfast or drowning head first in it. Hunter was the only one finished, he also looked more alert than anyone else. Liam couldn't remember where the young chief was during the party but guessed he was smart enough to stay away from the good stuff.

"Long night?" Liam asked, taking the first bite of scrambled eggs. They were exquisite.

"You can say that again," Ellie tray was almost empty and she sipped from a mug. "**S**ome of us had to spend the night at the infirmary with Mr. Vanguard over here. How're you feeling Glen?"

"Just telling Shep that it ain't so bad this morning. Thanks for staying with me by the way," Glen added with a sheepish smile.

Ellie waved it away. "What are friends for?"

"I'll tell you what they're not for, challenging each other to a dance party that's what," Blitz said as she speared a breakfast patty. "It was intense. How could Vega go that long?"

"Oh I saw. You kicked ass if you ask me," Glen replied, reaching over to high five Blitz. "My wife agrees."

That got Shepard's attention as he turned a curious eye to Glen. "You're married?"

"Yeah," the Vanguard boasted proudly, lifting his left hand. "Fifteen years and I'm still the luckiest son of a bitch this side of the galaxy."

"He got three tough kids out of her too," Hunter said, raising his glass in a toast. "The last time I played chess against Thadius he nearly mopped the floor with me. Getting better."

"My oldest," Glen added for Liam's benefit. He then flicked on his omni-tool and showed him a photo. The tall boy in the middle shared Glen's eyes, he guessed that was Thadius. Beside him were two twin girls, they couldn't be more than Mikey's age. "There's Nisa and Destiny, both daddy's girls. And right in the middle is the love of my life Vanessa."

"You have a beautiful family," Liam said, studying the picture and feeling that much closer to the whole team. But the moment was broken when a whistle sounded over his shoulder.

"Now there's a hottie," Vega exclaimed and got a look of warning from Glen. "What?"

"I think she's taken," Liam added as Vega came around to his seat. Liam passed him a plate of eggs and sausage patties.

"Thanks, Loco. I love eggs!" James dug in and the table grew silent as Glen resumed his meal with a smile on his face.

"So Shepard, I hope I'm not prying but they dug into you pretty hard last night about...Sasha." Ellie began and he felt the table grow uncomfortable.

"Yeah, my ex-wife." He shook his head, not really wanting to go there. What could he say? If Sasha was happy then who was he to make a big stink about it? "What she does is her business. I just don't want my kid getting hounded by reporters." Their beaming smiles at the word kid had him flicking out his omni-tool as well.

Ellie and Blitz snatched his arm and fawned over his little guy. Vega smiled between mouthfuls while Hunter raised his mug in toast.

"He's got your eyes," Ellie said, glancing between him and Mikey's excited expression as he hefted the dodgeball champions cup.

"Really? I think he takes after Sasha." Liam replied casually. Even mom agreed to that when she held the little bundle in her hands for the first time. He never forgot how happy she was that day.

"Well he has her jet black hair," Blitz chimed in, "But other than that..."

"No," She stood and brought his arm closer to his face as the crew looked for the comparison. "He definitely has your lovely green eyes. See?"

"She's right, loco. The little guy takes after his old man," Vega exclaimed, taking another bite of his eggs.

Liam feigned hurt. "Ouch. Old man?"

Ellie rolled her eyes and flicked the side of Vega's head. Everyone laughed including their favorite arms master.

Liam relaxed as Blitz leaned over her empty tray. "I heard Michael's team is entering the junior galactic dodgeball competition. I think that's on the citadel this year. Are you going to watch him?"

"Of course! And if he survives that, he wants to enter the derby too," Liam explained, remembering the latest update email from his son. It was really a good time to be twelve.

"Well I sure hope shore leave is on the Citadel this year," Glen rumbled hopefully, "my boy is doing the inter-galactic derby this year. My girls are hoping to qualify for junior aquatics. Also want to be there for the New Year celebration they have planned."

"We're deciding sometime this week, right?" Hunter asked.

"I sure hope so, we're overdue for a proper leave," Blitz replied.

"Any excuse to actually fly us somewhere works for me. I hate being grounded!" Ellie exclaimed, gathering her tray.

"Well it has its upsides," Vega said with a big toothy grin. "Better weapon delivery for one thing. Guess what I have for you, Shepard?"

"Let me think real h—" Liam didn't get to finish that thought when his omni-tool zapped to life. The alarm set his heart into over drive and one look at the statistics showed why. The alarm in Elena's apartment had been tripped.

Shepard bolted ignoring all the concerned looks and inquiries he ran for the elevators.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Storage block for slums complex B—Ontarom.**_

"Strip…building. N—…lea—g…re…search."

Jeremy was hearing words but they didn't make sense. His throat burned hot with dryness as his neck trembled under the sway of his groggy head.

"It looks like our friend is waking up. Keep searching and don't contact me until you find it," that same crude voice said, followed by some static and commotion.

It sounded like he was a few feet away, but with the ringing in his ears Jeremy couldn't tell.

He tried to look up but cringed in pain as his neck protested. Jeremy's eyes were useless against the harsh light of the storage room cooking him from above. He began to worry, if they were still in the storage room that meant it wasn't all a dream.

Heavy boots sounded close, circling behind him like a predator. Jeremy tried to move, but his arms were still wrenched back behind the metal chair. _Shit I'm in the chair! _Everything made sense again, the memory loss, the crispy burning feeling tingling all over his skin. _The stupid fuck wants to cook me in my own chair!_

"Isn't it funny how the devices we create can help us destroy ourselves," Banes' voice sounded so close that Jeremy could feel his ears ringing. Jeremy opened his mouth to retort but his throat was so dry from the torture that he couldn't utter a syllable. "If only you could see yourself. Weak, pathetic." Banes' laugh rumbled next to his ear. "Alone."

Great. Instead of just killing him, the fucker had to taunt. Jeremy tried to move his feet but found them bound as well. He would have laughed at the irony if it didn't hurt so much. All this time spent torturing others and here he was, ready to die by his own creation. This stupid chair!

"It didn't have to come to this," Banes said, but the glee in his voice said otherwise. This bastard was happy to kill anyone for fun. "You could've told me what I wanted to know."

Fighting the pain**,** Jeremy managed to lift his head and focus his eyes. A cool ooze trickled down his neck, he didn't have to smell the copper to know it was blood. There wasn't much time and he knew another couple of joules would do the trick and end this. _So how do I piss the fucker off enough to do the trick?_

Banes came into view and Jeremy fought the urge to vomit. This Armistan Banes was not the same brooding golden boy he remembered. He was a true monster now. His lean arms were a canvas for thick black unnatural veins. _Fuck, they even glow!_ Jeremy observed a faint blue hue surrounding the man. His experiments showed that there was only one way to create biotics and that was exposure at birth..._had Banes found another?_

Jeremy choked down enough moisture to form raspy words. "What the hell did you do to yourself?"

"You like it?" Banes rubbed his arms lightly, marveling at the faint glow. "I didn't realize how much fun it would be to wield such power. Simply amazing, my dear friend."

Those weren't true biotics, there was no way they could be. Eighty-three failed experiments and eighty-three dead bodies proved that much; you can't induce biotics in adults. Yet as much as Jeremy wanted to believe his test subjects didn't die in vain, he couldn't ignore what was right in front of him.

Sensing the attention, Banes flexed and conjured a sphere of dark energy in his palm. Before Jeremy could marvel at the sight, he squealed in pain when Banes slammed it into his gut.

"Hmmm, think I overdid it again," Banes said, keeping his biotically infused fist in place. As if controlled by his thoughts, the blue energy intensified and Jeremy cried out under the pressure nearly blacking out. "No, no, no, Roberts. You don't get to fall asleep on me."

Jeremy's back arched as 2000 kilo-joules caroused through his body. He couldn't move or breathe as black and blue stars clouded his vision. When the electricity stopped, he slumped forward. Cooked, but not ready to clock out just yet.

As Jeremy felt his muscles tingle with the after effects of electrocution, his thoughts returned to the Major. She was right to get the hell out of here and he suddenly felt very stupid for trying to stay behind and prove her wrong. Hell Cerberus went over to the dark side long before they ever decided to defect. They all knew it and if they're like him then he wished them the easy death they all deserved. He could tell that the crazy scientist was getting frustrated, all he had to do was keep him on the edge and this would all be over. _Valhalla here I come!_

Mustering a laugh, Jeremy looked up and locked eyes with the impatient idiot in front of him. If this is what the next generation called genius then so help them god. "You call those biotics?"

"Flattery won't end you, Roberts," Banes replied as he took his fist away and stepped back to survey his handiwork. "I want my data back. You'll give it to me. Then I'll kill you."

"Yeah, cause' maybe then you'll get some real biotics," Jeremy said, coughing as his throat burned in agony. Surprisingly the golden boy was smart enough not to lose his shit. Jeremy would have to try harder to kill himself.

Banes dragged a chair over and straddled it, resting both elbows on its back. "Twenty years with the Alliance, fifteen of those with Cerberus and you stayed exactly where you were." Banes grinned. "I thought you'd be smarter.

Jeremy smiled. _So did I._

Alcohol was his only vice, but it was enough to fuck him over from the start. Too bad it didn't take all his brain cells, then maybe he'd be sipping mojitos on a beach somewhere, enjoying the section 8 discharge.

_But what the heck did this kid know?_

"You know it'll kill you, right?" Jeremy said, turning serious. "Biotics don't work like this. I have eighty-three experiments to back that up."

"Concerned?" Banes drew back in mild surprise before letting out a cackle. "I'm touched!"

"I can see it in your veins, kid. They're black for crying out loud! Your body can't sustain that much dark energy. What do you think will happen when they clog up completely?" If he was going to die, then maybe caring for this idiot was his one good deed. Maybe it was enough to get to heaven and avoid whatever hell was surely waiting for him.

Something snapped. Banes sat very still and for the first time Jeremy could feel the feral cold of his glare, those steel grey eyes were already dead. Not even that mop of blonde hair could hide the hatred from his expression. That crooked smile looked so familiar but the grogginess clouded Jeremy's mind. Trapping the memory those eyes urged him to remember.

Banes' arms glowed blue as beads of sweat poured from his forehead and trickled over his wide smile. "I love how much you care, Roberts." Banes reached out and Jeremy felt the heavy hand weighing on his forehead. Biotics ready to drop a brick-ton of power. "But let me tell you a story, just so you understand why. You said eighty-three experiments but you know there were one hundred in total."

Jeremy felt his eyes widen. There were three people in the world who knew about the 17 others, him, the Major and The Illusive Man. There was no way any of them...realization hit Jeremy as he studied the cold grey eyes of his executioner.

_No...not you._

"Seventeen teenagers were divided into a control group and a test group," Banes said happily, "they were all too stupid to know the gift they would receive so they begged for their lives. Little idiots."

Jeremy froze, mouth wide as he stared at what he thought was long lost and forgotten.

_**~O~**_

_The kids cried, clawed at the ceiling and pounded on the glass doors. Their sounds drifted into the observatory making it impossible to concentrate. _

"_Shut the little idiots up," Jeremy said with a heavy heart as he took a swig from his flask. Eighty-three surgical failures and now they were resorting to making biotics the old fashioned way. _

_The technician hung his head low and released the knock-out gas that would put the kids to sleep. Hell they were the lucky ones. They were just a control group, they didn't have to see what was in the chamber next to them. _

"_Sir, what should we do with them?"_

_They were useless. The age group was wrong so there was no need to put them through any tests. "Leave them for now. Let em' sleep, tomorrow they're out of here."_

_Corking his flask Jeremy stormed out of the lab._

_**~O~**_

"Those kids were stupid to revolt. They should have waited to be tested like the others, waited to acquire biotics. The powers of the gods." Banes said with devoted fierceness.

The enigma that was Armistan Banes put itself together in Jeremy's head so fast that he nearly wanted to cry. This kid was a success after all. "Jesus..." Jeremy muttered quietly as he stared into the face of evil he helped create.

Banes leaned in close. "Not quite." Jeremy felt the heat of dark energy at the top of his skull. He tried to wriggle free but the scalding pressure intensified, melting the hair follicles as it seared into this skin. Jeremy began to see spots and screamed when he felt the entire top half of his skull collapse. "You robbed me of the chance to become a god when you lumped me with sixteen little idiots." Banes taunted in a low voice.

It felt like fire was coming down in bricks from Banes' palm. Jeremy yelled himself hoarse, feeling the tension in his vocal chords snap and the taste of blood bubbling in his mouth.

"Alexei..." Jeremy managed to gurgle before the whole world went away and the pain finally stopped.

* * *

**A/N:**

I'm so sorry for the long delay. With life throwing everything and the kitchen sink at me it was tough to get my head above water, but it's up now and I'm ready to get back to regular updates. I just want to thank my beta for being ever so patient with everything that's been going on and my friend Aeternix for willing to lend a hand when I needed it most. And of course thank you to all of you who are still with me and leaving such wonderful reviews. I can't wait to hear what you think of Jeremy's death in this chapter. I hate killing characters but such is the cost of war, even a shadow war like this one.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: 100 reviews! Thank you all so much for sticking with me this long. I love hearing all of your thoughts and you have my word this story has an ending, hang in there. Hands up to my amazing beta Nils, without his diligent beta skills this story would be unreadable. Also a special shout-out to LegionN7 who is not just a source of inspiration but is officially my 100th reviewer! :D  
**

* * *

_**Location: Outskirts of Endeavor colony— Slums district apartment block—Ontarom.**_

Liam went prone and felt the wet sand mush around his elbows. Leave it to the tail-end of a rainstorm to turn the whole desert into a swamp. Ignoring the sludge beneath him, Liam steadied his aim atop the sand dune.

A few hundred feet away Elena's apartment filled his scope. He could see everything from the enemy's black, gold and white Mako to the six armed hostiles guarded the area. They held Gorgon assault rifles and were outfitted with what looked like heavy assault armor. The hostiles kept order as if they were the law. But unlike the police force they didn't seem concerned with civilian safety. A soldier kicked the back of an elderly man's knees and sent him face-first into the sand. The other tenants cowered in a group huddle, avoiding eye contact.

Shepard forced himself to sit through their plight. Finding out who these soldiers were and what they wanted was priority, so long as nobody died. The Mantis was steady on its tripod. Liam kept a cautious hand on it and brought his omni-tool to life with the other.

Cycling through the building's inner surveillance gave him nothing. Either these tenants liked their privacy or the area surrounding the apartment was being jammed. Not knowing what was going on inside made him uneasy, but rushing over there would compromise the mission, so he waited. They would have to transport whatever they found eventually.

A brisk wind sent shards of wet sand into his eyes and skin but Liam was too numb to feel the pain. Instead he quietly adjusted his aim to counter the crosswind and waited. Most of the job was waiting. Waiting for the mission, waiting for the intel, waiting for the target. It was all a pathetic waiting game. But what the higher-ups forgot was the human life that was always at stake on the wrong side of a scope. There was always someone's head on the line for every second he spent waiting.

Pushing the unpleasant thoughts aside, Liam checked the silencer and donned his recon hood. He was alone here and needed to use every advantage, especially the shadows of this dark morning.

A warning shot went into the air as two soldiers argued with a furious Mrs. Ortega. The old lady yelled and slapped against their white and gold armor but the soldiers only knocked her aside.

Shepard sighed and peered through his scope. It was now or never. The trigger slowly started to contract beneath his finger, his heartbeat slowed in tune with the enemy's steps.

The roar of an ATV pulled Liam out of his tunnel vision. The fog lights blinded him as the massive wheels kicked sand in all directions as the vehicle accelerated.

Shepard drew his Paladin at the headlights, the equivalent of using a slingshot on a charging rhino. Just when he reconciled to pull the trigger, Vega killed the lights and ran towards him with more gear.

"There you are," Vega exclaimed only to hush and crawl over when Liam gestured for silence. James' voice dropped to a whisper as he crawled on his elbows to the spotter position. "Target practice?"

"Something like that," Liam said as he checked through the scope. No one was aware of their presence. They were too far away. A flush of relief surged through him. "What are you doing here and where's your armor?"

"You forgot your present," Vega unclipped a metal tube from his rugged pack and tossed it to him. In his white shorts and cargo pants, James was practically a walking target.

Liam caught the bulky tube with one hand. The smooth gunmetal barrel was unmistakable. He had only seen this weapon in R&D reports and had the privilege of using it even less. He pressed the release and watched the M-99 Black Widow prototype unfold in his hands. It was heavier than the Mantis thanks to its solid steel frame, and supposedly even deadlier.

"Thanks but you shouldn't be here," Liam whispered back, still mesmerized by the gun's beauty. The sleek black finish, the serrated grills that housed brand new nanomolecular heat sinks which were said to reduce the cooldown period to mere seconds. "This is a sensitive op."

"What?" Vega exclaimed, only to be hushed again. This time he dug for binoculars and peered downrange. His low whistle of amazement told Liam all he needed to know. "Who the hell are those guys?"

The white diamond flanked by a black and gold wing wasn't on any Alliance insignia and nobody used the color scheme, according to his omni-tool data. They were likely special forces, but those units were ghosts. They didn't harass civilians.

A guard shoved another man who was carrying a little boy. Liam watched as the father took the brunt of it by tossing the kid clear. As the man scrambled to get up the boy started to wail, rubbing his bruised knee.

Vega radioed for backup and Liam felt his heart sink even lower. This was supposed to be a quick recon, a firefight would mean casualties and a bunch of dead bodies wouldn't tell him where Elena was at. But there were civilians...

"We need at least one of them for interrogation," Shepard ordered as he peered through the upgraded sights. The targeting VI marked all six enemies on the field and lit up with real-time wind data. It was like a HUD within a scope and Liam was in heaven.

Vega relayed the orders and turned back to him. "The others will be here in ten."

Liam took aim and saw his world turn yellow in full focus. The helmet of an enemy bobbed into view just before his sights were wrenched down. "What the hell are you doing?" Liam demanded.

"I was about to ask you the same," James bristled, keeping a beefy hand clamped on the barrel. "We should wait for backup."

Liam wrenched the Black Widow away and tossed him the Mantis. "What we _should_ do is rescue those hostages. I'm not going to sit here while—"

A shot echoed from the complex. Liam and Vega promptly shut up and peered through their scope and binoculars respectively. The civilians were screaming, pleading and panicking as a growing pool of blood seeped into the sand where the father used to be. Now the soldier was approaching the hysterical kid while his buddies kept guns trained on the others.

"Ah shit," Vega swore angrily beside him.

"What do you say, Vega," Liam said mirthlessly as he aimed at the soldier's jugular, "still want to wait for backup?"

James replied by extending the Mantis and finding his own target. Liam took a steadying breath then squeezed the trigger.

Downrange, the enemy soldier jerked back as a spray of red splattered his white armor. Swaying momentarily, he dropped on both knees while clutching his throat.

The little boy frightfully scooted away from the bodies and resumed crying in fear. Two follow-up rounds from the Black Widow broke a soldier's helmet, each leaving symmetrical gaping holes where eye sockets used to be.

Three more soldiers came running from the back but dove for cover behind their Mako just as a Mantis round hit the ground beneath their feet.

"Take it slow," Liam guided as they waited out the cooldown period. "They're not going anywhere."

Vega fired another shot that grazed the Mako. The three pinned soldiers were now effectively cut off from the civilians who scrambled towards the warehouse. Mrs. Ortega and another man grabbed the little boy and booked it with the rest.

"Can you get the fuel tank?" Vega asked, keeping his sights locked and giving the civilians cover.

"Negative." Liam shook his head as he swept the Mako's exterior. Even the vulnerability VI couldn't detect a weak spot. "It's too heavily armored on the Mako, unless you're hiding a concussive shot?"

"Two actually. But not at this range, Loco. That's your specialty." A brave idiot tried to return fire but was forced back into cover when Vega's round tore through his shoulder. "Though if we got closer..." James pondered.

"Good shot," Liam congratulated as he considered the option too. There were three of them left in total with the possibility of two actually posing a threat. Most of the civilians already put footprints between the storage blocks and the apartments, some held the doors open as others rushed in. There was no longer a pressing need to hold high ground, but at the same time he didn't want to give the enemy a chance to board their own Mako in the time it would take them to drive over there.

"What did you bring?" Liam asked, hoping a full inventory of their arsenal might change his mind.

"I grabbed a Raptor." As Vega fired, his dog tags jingled and reflected in the first signs of sunlight.

"That's it?" Liam was surprised, prior to today he couldn't see Vega leaving home without a full loadout. Now here he was with no armor, an assault rifle and a prototype sniper rifle that had never seen action.

"Hey, if I knew we were ready to tango I would've dressed for the occasion." Vega scoped and fired at a retreating limb.

Liam took a moment to put a three round burst into one of the Mako's tires. But before he could reply, something chopped through the wind and rippled up above.

It wasn't until a sudden sandstorm stung their eyes that Liam and Vega looked up. Hovering mid-flight was a helicopter with the same white and gold markings as the enemy.

Liam fired an overload as he tackled Vega out of the machine gun's line of fire. They both rolled down hill near the Mako and ATV as the helicopter fought for control and re-adjusted its targeting.

The two of them were sprawled in the sand, but before Liam could scramble to his feet the chopper fired a rocket at the Mako. Liam and Vega were thrown into the air and crashed into the dune.

His head felt like someone used it as a stove top. The heat, from the inferno that was once a Mako, ignited the oozing liquid from his ears. He fought for air but choked on a mouthful of sand instead.

The helicopter swept a spotlight over the area. Liam tossed another overload in the general direction of light before a coughing fit overtook him, making his headache worse. The chopper lost control and swirled in mid-air, raising more sand in the commotion as the pilots tried to maintain altitude. The sound was so deafening that for a moment Liam swore he felt a blade swipe above his head.

Liam weakly tried to push up but staggered as his vision swam.

"Shepard? Shepard!" The voice drew closer until rough hands hauled him up to a standing position. Liam felt one of his arms thrown over bulky shoulders and together they staggered downhill as the chopper disengaged. "You okay?"

Vega slumped them against the ATV where they both took a breath. The sandstorm died down. Liam puked, exchanging a gob of bile and sand for fresh air. "Ugh, we need to get down there. Take those people to safety," he croaked, accepting the canteen of water Vega passed him.

"How? We lost our wheels and weapons." Vega hovered into view. He had a black eye and his clothes had seen better days, but he seemed fully functional otherwise. "Shit, you don't look too good," James remarked, taking a swig of water too.

Liam patted the ground for his rifle but it was nowhere to be found. Only the solid weight of the Paladin at his hip gave him comfort. Vega hefted his Raptor and did a quick sweep of their surroundings.

"We need to move," Liam said, feeling control return to his body. He stood and checked the skyline. "If that chopper doesn't come back, you can bet the three stooges below will come to greet us."

"We can hold this place," Vega said, even though he started checking the ATV controls. When the engine came to life a big smile ripped his mouth.

"We're on low ground. If they repair that Mako and get it up here we're dead," Liam yelled back. With one last hopeless look around for his rifle, Liam climbed into the driver's seat. "We can't wait for the others. Our only option is to take the apartment."

Vega nodded in acknowledgement before climbing onto the back. "You know, I've never been to ICT. Any tips on how to shoot from the back of a moving ATV?"

"Just hang on." Liam gunned the engine and the ATV lurched forward. Liam could see the white outline of the Mako and sped towards it.

"Whoa, keep it steady, Loco," Vega complained. Shepard could feel the rifle bump into his shoulder as James swept the area ahead. A part of him wondered if he'd be missing a limb by the end of this mission. Maybe having Vega ride shotgun wasn't...

His thought was cut short when a round pierced their tire. Shepard fought to control ATV but it continued to speed forward and flipped, tossing them mere inches from the enemy Mako.

"You know, we really gotta stop travelling like this," Vega quipped as he pushed himself up and reached for the Raptor. A round buried itself in the sand just inches above his hand. "Sniper!"

"I noticed," Liam said, drawing his Paladin. From the angle of the shot it seemed like their friends were in cover on the second floor, third window down. Elena's single bedroom unit.

Liam deployed his tactical cloak and stepped from cover. A bullet grazed his shin just as he dove back behind the Mako and ripped off his recon hood. The sniper definitely had a thermal scope. They needed a distraction but there was nothing at their disposal. He had no explosives or smoke screens and Vega's concussive shot was stuck in a rifle that was off limits now. The sunlight peeked over the horizon and flooded the sky with the first of its rays. Shepard squinted and reached for his dog tags, only to find they weren't there. Looking to Vega he motioned for his tags. "I have an idea."

Once they were in position on either edge of the Mako Liam tested the light on his omni-tool and gave Vega the go-ahead. "This better work, Loco," James mumbled as he crouched just inches from his rifle.

"Now or never," Liam flicked the light on and bounced the reflection at the sniper's post inside. "Go!"

"Got it!" Vega yelled from behind him. As soon as he fired, Liam leapt from cover, gun drawn and ran towards the building entrance with his buddy close behind.

The two men hugged the wall on opposite sides of the doorway. Vega seemed like he was having the time of his life and Liam was just glad they were keeping their heads this morning. He had the overwhelming urge to look back at the storage facility where the civilians were, but N7 training kept him focused on the task at hand. Eliminate the enemy first, provide aide second.

"I'll take point," Liam said, raising his weapon as Vega's rifle signaled the end of cooldown. "Ready?"

"Like hell, Loco," Vega protested, breathing heavily. "You're seriously messed up right now. I'll take point."

The trickle of blood caressed Liam's neck but aside from the pain in his inner ear he felt fine. The military enhancements were doing their job so there was nothing to worry about, all soldiers knew that.

"Look, first of all you don't have any armor, second you're breathing sounds like a death rattle and third I'm in charge so shut up and get behind me." Liam didn't wait for a reply as he stepped through the threshold and cleared the entrance. Vega fell in next and swept his sights down the hall.

What used to be a respectable lobby now looked like ground zero of a demolition. There wasn't a single intact window or piece of furniture without a bullet hole. Ugly wires hung where lights used to be, while a big puddle of blood behind a desk reading 'security' told him all he needed to know on that front.

They carefully stepped over some upturned couches and took cover. Liam motioned towards the staircase, ignoring Vega's confused look. "What? Don't tell me we're not doing a room-by-room here first?"

Shepard pointed to the trail of blood where Vega currently crouched and how it ascended up the stairs. That seemed to satisfy the arms master and gave Liam some relief. He wasn't about to go into the details of what he needed from the second floor. Whatever these goons found, it was likely to be in Elena's room.

Keeping aim overhead, Liam took the first step onto the stairs only to be peppered by rounds from the sides.

Suddenly the main hallway exploded as the two soldiers from before rushed out. "They're here!"

Vega fired at the most vocal soldier and dove for cover. Liam did the same and they found themselves in yet another standoff just inches from the stairs. Judging from the footsteps there was only one soldier left standing. Upstairs there was likely still a sniper who any minute now would make his way down and get away with whatever they found in Elena's apartment.

"You still have that concussive round?" Liam whispered, when Vega crouched down from another burst of return fire.

"Yeah, been saving it for a special occasion," Vega frowned as bullets hit the mortar above them, "Why?"

"Use it and give me cover. I'm heading upstairs," Shepard returned fire and felt the metal grip in his hand begin the cooldown.

"What the hell, Loco?" James looked sour now. "What's so important up there that can't wait till we're finished with this guy?"

"A sniper!" Liam retorted, but to his dismay that James wasn't buying it. Heck he felt like crap trying to keep all this hush-hush. But the middle of a firefight wasn't the best place to come clean about a special op. "It's one guy, James. You can handle him. If that sniper comes down though, we'll be pinned."

Understanding flickered in Vega's eyes as he ducked just as a round grazed the top of their cover. "I know how to do my job, Loco. But you owe me some answers."

"As long as you keep your head." The ping that announced the end of cool down rang and Vega fired the concussive shot. At the same time Liam sprang from cover and bounded upstairs.

The gunfire continued downstairs but Liam forced himself to move forward and secure the apartment. He felt horribly ill equipped for close quarters. A single shotgun blast would tear through his armor like paper so he slowed down and did an infrared scan with his omni-tool. It revealed one hostile slumped at the edge of the stairs.

Liam stepped from cover and aimed his pistol at the heaving body. It was the guard Vega shot through the shoulder earlier. The wounded man attempted to raise his rifle but Liam shot him Mozambique style with two bullets to the chest and one to the head.

The body slumped and Liam inched forward without a second glance at the bastard who made a boy fatherless today.

Coming up to Elena's apartment he crouched, engaged his omni-tool and ran a quick scan. They had enough surprises for one day.

"Loco, he's down and I'm moving to your position now. Don't do anything stupid." Vega's voice cut through his neural comm and made Liam jump. His ear pulsed in agony, but at least the integrated comms that all Alliance personnel had surgically implanted into the ears still worked. Even within the jamming field.

"Copy that. You better haul ass or there won't be anything left." Liam shivered from a draft emanating from the open window down the hall. But it wasn't the cold that had him in a dilemma. There was no explaining the importance of this one apartment without betraying the Captain's request for secrecy. However, Vega had a right to know why he was risking life and limb.

Shepard trained his pistol on the staircase until Vega's head popped up. Using hand signals to indicate one enemy inside the apartment, Liam moved towards the door. It wasn't a complete lie because he was sure this was the general area of the sniper's post, even if the scan revealed nothing.

James took a defensive position and nodded.

Liam cautiously hovered the omni-tool over the door console. There were no active explosives on the other side this time, yet he couldn't quell the uneasy feeling in his gut. As the hack overrode the door controls, he could feel the cool sweat cascading down his neck and re-moistening the dry blood. The thumping pulse in his ears sounded like blades cutting through the air. _Wait blades?_

He listened closer and noticed Vega's growing curious expression as the sound got louder.

The chopper reappeared at the window and opened fire. There was no place for cover and Liam felt his shields drop as high caliber rounds made impact.

Vega tackled him and they both crashed through the door and into Elena's apartment. Liam landed hard and felt the sickening crunch of bone at his side. Liam felt a painful trickle of ooze at his side and didn't need a medical degree to know what that meant.

"Vega?" He looked to James who was sprawled on the floor beside him and writhing in agony. The bullets were embedded below his right lung and a crimson flower spread over his white shirt and seeped through his fingers. Vega tried to speak but only hacked up a bubble of blood. "Shit, you're hit. Don't move," Liam ordered as he tore a pack of medi-gel and tried to keep his friend still as he applied it.

~O~

"_Leave him, that's an order!"_

"_We can't just..."_

"_It's an order, marine. We need to move," Brock bellowed. "Now!"_

_The man convulsed in Shepard's arms, his skin turning white as he reached out..._

_~O~_

Shepard drove his fist through the wood beside Vega. The added pain pulled him from the memory and back to the sights and sounds of the chopper doing another sweep.

The medi-gel was sealing Vega's wounds but he was still way too pale for his liking.

"Loco, use this, leave me." James thrust the rifle into his hands but Liam slung it over his shoulder, holstered his pistol and tried to help Vega up.

"I'm getting you out of here," Liam said, throwing an arm over his shoulder. Vega hissed in agony but otherwise continued to stand.

"What..." Vega swayed and Liam pushed him into cover behind a living room wall, "what about the sniper?"

Peering out with the rifle trained at the window, Liam saw two rappel lines. "Gone. We just missed them." He ducked as the chopper did another pass, then another. Satisfied that no one else would fire, the blades receded but didn't fade completely.

Liam motioned for Vega to stay down as he crawled to the rappel lines and peered through Elena's open window.

On the ground below, two soldiers wearing yellow and gold ran towards the waiting chopper, carrying something heavy in a big sack between them. A Volkov slung over the guard's back, identified him as their earlier sniper.

There was no point in shooting since they were out of range with this level III weapon. Wishing he still had the Black Widow, Shepard raised the Raptor and peered through the scope trying to get a good look at the package.

Ripping his recon hood, Shepard searched the horizon but there was no sign of backup. No one was coming for them or those survivors.

That's when the collapsed storage facility caught his eye. What was once a solid warehouse was now a crumpled mess of bricks, metal and wood. He blinked rapidly and looked again in disbelief. They had to move, now. If there were any survivors in that wreckage they needed medical attention. Activating his omni-tool, Shepard was met with a squelch of static.

_Jammers. No wonder no one's here. _

Moving from the window, he saw Vega breathing heavily but sitting up now. He raised his omni-tool as well. "Mine's messed up too."

"Great." Shepard collapsed the rifle and took another step away from the window, "How are—"

Ribbons of blue power danced across Shepard's shoulders, growing in intensity. He was confused at first, thinking back to the many times Fiona played pranks on him. But there were no biotics on this battlefield and his sister was back on Earth.

Suddenly the aura constricted around him and yanked him through the open window. He heard Vega's yell over his own as he was hurled into the air.

The momentary suspension was exhilarating until gravity took over. Blood rushed to Liam's head as he entered freefall head first. Liam closed his eyes just as the ground rushed to meet him. There was no time for second thoughts, for life's memories, for anything. His mind blanked from shock.

And then he hovered in place.

Opening his eyes, he felt the bright yellow sand graze his hair. Next thing he knew, his head was twisted into it like a cork screw atop the grainy ground not painfully but none to gently either.

"Well look what we have here," A voice boomed behind him.

Liam couldn't move but the surrounding biotics spun him to face the originator. Disoriented and blinded by the rapidly rising sun, Shepard had to squint to see his captor.

The upside down image of a tall man with sandy blonde hair and a formal suit entered his vision. He had to blink before noticing the suit's sleeves were hacked off and the vicious arms protruding through it glowed bright blue.

"We move now, Banes!" One of the soldiers yelled over the chopper blades. "Hurry it up."

"Why rush such a momentous occasion? It's not every day I get to train on an N7," Banes flicked his wrist and Liam was launched upwards like a rocket. The strange feeling of falling up made him dizzy, he tried to move against the blue energy but it was useless.

As soon as he passed the apartment's roof, gravity snagged him back. Liam rushed head first again until Banes caught him biotically.

"Thank you, thank you!" Banes said, bowing to an imaginary audience. "Now for my next trick, I'll make—"

"Backup has arrived, move NOW!" The co-pilot yelled but not before a burst of biotics slammed him into the cockpit. The two guards inside started to return fire as the chopper lifted into the air.

The moment of distraction earned Banes a biotic blast to the gut. Liam fell head first into the sand but suffered no damage from such a minimal height.

He drew his pistol on a downed Banes but was rammed with a biotic throw. Shepard tasted the sand dunes again as he skid to a stop at Casey's feet.

"Commander, are you okay? Where's Vega?" she asked, keeping her rifle downrange. Glen rushed a biotic charge for the helicopter, but it was already in the air.

"Inside...hurt bad," Liam panted as he scampered up beside her. Her biotics and outstretched hand clued him as to who just pissed off this Banes guy.

Banes was up and furious now, his anger manifesting into biotics as they swirled all around his body. His arms pulsed under the strain of energy before it engulfed Banes completely. In one sweeping motion Banes brought his hands together and the entire complex shuddered from explosion of blue light.

The three of them dove for cover but the shockwaves sent them flying across the sand. The chopper groaned under the impact and spiraled past Liam in mid-air.

Shepard landed hard and banged his head for the umpteenth time. He came to but found his eyelids heavy. Blue energy still permeated the air every time he blinked. Liam tried to get up but his body refused and not even the genetic enhancements kicked into gear.

"Shep...move...coming..." He heard voices from all directions as the comfort of darkness kissed him to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Location: Classified underground Cerberus facility, Ontarom.**

There were two things Miranda Lawson hated most. One was failure and the other was incompetence. So when top operative Jin Xiang gave a status report detailing both, it was difficult to not terminate her on the spot. This was a relatively simple mission and now they were six months behind on something that should have taken six weeks to complete.

"Let me try to understand. Tier Six decides to hijack our research, they even go through the trouble of letting you in on the coup by giving you access codes, data and drop points for their specified routes—"

"—Actually, Ms. Lawson, that data was specific to my intended route. They did not give me anything that would tell me where they—"

"—They then pull off this coup," Miranda continued, ignoring the cowering operative on the other side of her grand oak desk. "You were entrusted with the task of hunting them down and getting our research back. And you did absolutely nothing."

Jin squirmed under her gaze, clearly uncomfortable. For once, Miranda appreciated the previous Ontarom facility director's choice in decor. The glass cabinets stretching along the office walls contained hundreds of modern military rifles. They gleamed with high polish, ready to be used for killing. All that was missing was the barbaric bear rug and the menacing atmosphere would be complete.

Seeing nowhere to hide, Jin finally bowed her head in shame. That fierce malice which made the woman an amazing asset was nowhere to be found now. "—Ms. Lawson, I can explain..."

"I don't need your explanations, Jin**,**" Miranda said coldly. "I need results. Clearly you're not here to deliver." The operative stilled, smartly sensing the anger emanating from her superior and finally ready to accept her punishment. "As of right now you are stripped of your Tier Six designation. I would normally ask that you hand any leads on the traitors over to me. But seeing as how you didn't do anything for six months..."

"—I was weeding them out!" Jin yelled, startled by her own voice. Miranda remained unfazed. Thank goodness she at least had a pair of brass ones to say even that much. "I thought if we let them think that no one was coming, they would get sloppy and—"

"That's enough," Miranda said. She was done listening to excuses. "Report to the Operations Chief for your demotion."

Jin remained glued to her chair, head down, unable to meet her eyes. Miranda understood that this was the operative's first major failure. Most officers would say to go easy on the first offenses, but she didn't believe in that. It was better to hammer it in cold the first time so that the subordinate never dared repeat the same mistake again.

"That means we're done here," Miranda repeated when Jin still didn't move. Slowly but surely, and head still bowed, Jin rose and quietly excused herself without so much of a peep.

When her newly minted office was empty again, Miranda reclined and waved her omni-tool to the open comm link. "Keep tabs on her, Suraj."

"Yes, ma'am," the obedient voice replied. There was no need to send armed guards with her, this facility was so secure that it would be impossible to leave without proper clearance. But Miranda didn't get to where she was without caution. The logistics of her current plan were simple: Keep Jin close and eventually she would lead them to the others.

The blinking light on Miranda's terminal let her know The Illusive Man wanted a word. Not one to keep important people waiting**,** she activated the vid-comm that projected the enigmatic man from her screen. Miranda remained at ease as she awaited his assessment.

Those artificial blue eyes locked on hers as he took a puff from his cigarette. To many, those eyes represented a cold man who was losing touch with humanity, piece by artificial piece. But to Miranda they represented hope. This man gambled everything on her and she would never forget that. In return she pledged her skills, looks and body to the cause on numerous occasions. Yet despite all that, Miranda hoped that one day she would be able to repay him in a way that counted. Whatever way that was...

"Miranda," The Illusive Man greeted as he studied her carefully. "You're letting her go?" It was the plan after all to have Jin removed and interrogated, but Miranda thought of a better way to kill two birds with one stone at the last minute.

"I've put a tail on her which should lead us to the others," Miranda replied casually. "If she's smart she'll run."

"I see," The Illusive Man mused as he took another slow drag from what looked like a Cuban cigar. "And what if she stays loyal?"

"She won't." Miranda narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what he was getting at. The Illusive Man liked to test people and she knew he loved to test her the most with his outlandish scenarios. She hated them at first because it seemed like he was always questioning her judgment. But over time she came to realize how much of this was for her benefit as well. The Illusive Man was training her not to overlook a single detail. As much as she wanted complete autonomy over a mission, she knew she had to prove herself first. "Those who can't decide between Cerberus and betrayal usually aren't."

His lip curled in mild amusement. Miranda ran a hand through her hair in an effort to ease the tension in her head but only felt it heighten. She was taking a big risk here. If the slightest part of her plan went awry then the others would be alerted as well.

"Let's hope your gamble pays off," The Illusive Man said as he tapped the ash from his cigar. Miranda watched the embers flare and die off as they fluttered around the tray. "I know this is sudden, but I need you to name a new director and join Lieutenant-General Petrovsky aboard The Albatross."

She frowned in confusion. After the Tier Six fiasco she was sent here to replace the previous director of the Ontarom facility. This was only her third week cleaning house. "I don't understand?"

"This isn't punishment," The Illusive Man assured. "The general needs someone with your skills to keep an eye on an old friend of ours."

There was a short list of people The Illusive Man referred to as _friends_. Only one of them she considered mutual...

Miranda quirked a brow. "Let me guess..."

"You don't have to," The Illusive Man said as coordinates flashed across her data pad. "Report to the Albatross as soon as you name a new facility director. Send Banes my regards." The Illusive Man took another drag in silence.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Deck 2 Medical Bay—SSV Dublin—Ontarom**_

When Liam woke, his head felt like someone swung an axe into it. The lights were so intense he saw only white halos, blinding him of any perspective. Covered in sweat and shaking uncontrollably he tried to sit up but his side protested beneath the white medical gown.

"He's awake, doctor," a feminine voice said beside him while a rough hand on his shoulder made him stop. It sounded familiar but the ringing in his ears was distracting.

Voices came from all directions. "Easy, Loco. Try not to move."

"Lie still, Commander," another voice ordered before expert hands took over and eased him back into bed. "I had to remove shrapnel from your liver. You're lucky to be alive."

When the light was extinguished his eyes adjusted to the kind eyes of a middle aged woman with a relaxed demeanor. Her name tag identified her as Dr. Karin Chakwas. Vega and Ellie sat at his bedside, both looking like they haven't slept in days.

Ellie smiled down at him. "Thank god you're awake. I was about to start blood rituals," Ellie said with a wink.

When it was clear he wasn't going anywhere, the doctor scanned him with her omni-tool. He was about to ask what happened but his question was answered when he caught Vega from the corner of his eye. His buddy was a little rough around the edges. He had a black eye that seemed to be on the mend, white bandages swathed his arms and poked up through his shirt collar. Other than that he didn't look any worse for wear. The guy was a damn tank.

"You alright?" Liam asked, surprised with how hoarse and dry his voice sounded. Ellie and the doctor shared a look. Chakwas glanced at the arms master as she hovered the omni-tool lower over Liam's ribs.

Vega scoffed and crossed his arms with slight difficulty. "Takes a lot more than bullets to end me," he said proudly and then added to Ellie, "Can you believe this guy? I get shot and he's the one taking a week long nap.

"He's lucky to be alive, Lieutenant. Had the shrapnel buried itself a centimeter more to the right, we would need a new commander," Doctor Chakwas replied. Her voice carried an air of clinical precision with an undertone of genuine concern.

"Thank you," Liam said trying to kill the serious atmosphere as Ellie snagged a glass of water from the side table and lifted the straw to his lips. Normally he would jump at the chance to have a pretty woman nurse him back to health, but his wounded ego gratefully relieved her of the glass and he chugged the water from a half sitting on his elbow. It hurt like hell but it was worth it when the cool liquid washed down his throat. Fragments of the mission started coming back to him. There were kids...biotics...carnage. The remnants of memories long forgotten started playing at the edge of his vision, but he forced them back and locked eyes on Ellie. "What happened to the civilians?"

Ellie hesitated as she glanced to Vega. He shook his head solemnly, "They're all dead. Rescue crews are still pulling bodies from the wreckage."

Liam looked between them. "What about the hostiles? Did we manage to track them?"

"Jammers interfered with our signal. We didn't get your message in time," Ellie said as she patted his forearm and shook her head. "What possessed you to go down there anyways?"

Dr. Chakwas saved him from answering. "There will be time to debrief later. He needs to focus on getting better." She turned her gaze to Liam. "The medi-gel might have sealed your wound but the internal injuries need time to heal."

"Weren't they developing specific gels for internals, doctor?" Ellie asked, avoiding his eyes.

"Indeed they are," the doctor chimed in, "but Veti-Gel is still in the early concept stage. With the budget cuts to research I doubt we will see it in our lifetime."

"Yeah, cut down on the stuff we actually need. No surprise here," Vega said.

Liam relaxed into his pillow and decided not to call them out on the blatant change of subject. It already said enough about the civilian's fate. "I was out for week?"

"Had us worried the whole time," Ellie answered as Doctor Chakwas dropped some pills into his palm and he washed down the bitter concoction. "Do you know what happened out there?"

"No clue," Liam replied, as he slowly tested the function of each stiff limb before looking to Vega, "But I'm going to find out."

"What do you mean?" Vega questioned as he rolled his neck gingerly. "I thought we were a team?"

"We are," Liam said, as a pang of guilt returned. There was so much Vega didn't know but who was he to argue with the Captain's orders? She had a point. The fewer people involved, the less likely they'd get a boarding pass to X-19. "Where's the Captain? Did she get a report?"

James shot him a look that said he wasn't dropping this completely, but answered his question anyways. "I told her what I saw. Wasn't much and we're still trying to ID the hostiles, they don't match any unit in our intel."

Ellie sighed in defeat. "She was here every night checking in on you. I think she's hoping you'd give her some answers."

There wasn't much he didn't remember. The uniforms, the civilians the carnage, but none of it meant anything without so much as a picture of the strange unit. All he had was their color scheme and a crazy idiot named Banes who...

"There was a biotic explosion...that Banes...I've never seen anything like it. It's like he exploded." His eyes got heavier when the drugs kicked in but he refused sleep as the recollection came back. "Did you tell her about him?"

Vega shrugged in response. "Sorry no. I was out like a light by that time, last thing I remember was you being thrown out the window."

"But you saw the biotics, right?" Liam pressed, ignoring the sharp rise on the monitor next to him. Chakwas pressed a firm hand to his chest, her way of telling him to lie down.

"Well yeah...but it's not like they're uncommon, Loco." Vega scratched the short tuft he called a haircut.

"That man exploded with enough force to collapse a building," Liam nearly yelled, but exhaustion coupled with drugs was taking its toll.

"A biotic explosion?" Ellie asked, talking slowly as if he was child. "You're sure there was no bomb?"

Reigning back his anger wasn't hard under the influence of drugs but he still felt slightly irritated with their disbelief. Weren't two totaled buildings evidence enough? "I know it sounds crazy but that's what I saw."

"Look, I talked to Casey and Glen. They saw your biotic but they say a bomb caused the explosion," Vega replied with open palms. "I don't know what happened. I was out."

"Biotics don't just explode, Shepard," Ellie retorted, though the softness in her eyes dampened the irritation in her tone.

Vega didn't say anymore and just nodded like a bobble-head. Ellie suddenly looked tired as she swept a bang from her forehead and stifled a yawn. No one seemed to believe him as their concerned expressions returned.

Ellie looked ready to continue but the doctor's sharp look made her reschedule the interrogation. "The Commander needs rest, Flight Lieutenant Donnelly. And frankly so do you, Lieutenant Vega. I'm sure he's looking forward to your questioning but that will have to wait."

Liam was in no shape to say any more as Ellie threw her hands up in defeat. "Alright alright, I'm moving, doctor. No need to lose your skivvies." She sent Liam a coy grin as she tugged on Vega's uninjured arm. "We'll check in on you later, Shepard. I'm glad you're still with the living." With a relieved look Ellie turned to go. James lingered and gave Liam a tight a smile. "Good to have you back, Loco. Thanks for saving my ass. I owe you."

"Don't mention it. I think we were two for two back there," Liam replied tiredly when the door closed on them.

The drugs were dulling the pain in his head at the cost of making him drowsy. Sleep wasn't far away but he forced himself to look at the doctor. There was something about her that told him she didn't believe in sugarcoating things. "Do you think I'm crazy, doctor?"

"I think you're a man in need of rest," Chakwas said as she started pulling the curtains closed but Liam grasped her dainty hand before she could get too far.

"What do you know about biotics?" When she pursed her lips into a thin line and he felt the warmth recede from her eyes, Liam whispered, "Please...tell me it's possible."

"Well it's certainly possible," she mused as she slipped her hand from his grip. "But you claim he destroyed an entire warehouse along with an apartment block?"

"I saw it happen," Liam replied, wishing he could sit up and meet her eye to eye. It was weird looking up at people from below. "Casey and Glen were there too. We all felt the shockwave but...it wasn't like a biotic attack, it was an explosion."

"Theoretically I don't see how someone could release such a destructive amount of biotics and still retain their form," Chakwas continued as she adjusted a monitor that ran an IV to his arm. "Demolishing two buildings," she shook her head and corrected a dial. Liam began to feel its effects immediately, "a maneuver like that would drain an adept if not kill them from the caloric expense alone."

Liam heaved painfully as the fluids trickled into his arm and the drugs attempted to drown his consciousness. He knew the Alliance had the means to make the theoretical possible, but there was no way they would be this sloppy. If this Banes guy was an Alliance lab rat then some Colonel would be handing him a one-way ticket back to X-19 for ruining a good weapon.

His eyes drooped closed as he counted the ceiling tiles. "I see. That's all I needed to know...thanks, doctor."

Her smile returned as she looked down, the lights must have been playing tricks on him because he swore he saw something akin to motherly concern in her gaze. "My name is Karin, Commander."

"Then it's Liam for me...Karin." With his eyes closed but mind still awake he swore he could feel her smile grow.

The next day was full of physical exercises that eventually led to an early release. Karin gave strict orders to refrain from anything physically demanding as well as a full restriction from any field ops. To his dismay the Captain signed off on it but was nowhere to be found, which meant he was now effectively just another prisoner. But it wasn't all bad news, the salvage team managed to find something in the partially intact apartment: a heavily decrypted matrix of files stored in some device that had the techs stumped for weeks.

Although he was eager to take a look, he couldn't help but stew in frustration at the mission overall. They had no idea who those guys were, what they got away with and if they'd be back. The bodies were taken to Ontarom PD's morgue and he wasn't allowed to set foot off the ship. And there was no one to talk to since everyone was either outside debriefing the cops or on base patrol duty. He felt useless as he stared out the cabin window at the training grounds in the hangar.

"Michael Shepard is not available to take your call. Please try again later." Shepard slammed his omni-tool bearing fist against the bulkhead and clenched his teeth at the sting. It was days like these where he hated that an entire galaxy was between him and his only child.

Resting his burning hand against the cool steel, Shepard closed his eyes and thought back to the last day he saw him. They were at a zoo back on Earth, the excited 11 year old was pointing at the leopards with a huge grin plastered on his face. The rest of the world ceased to exist for Liam whenever the boy was happy. Nothing mattered but that ray of sunshine Michael Shepard brought into this world.

His omni-tool pinged with an incoming call. Liam heart quickened as he answered it hastily, only to be surprised when the determined green eyes of his sister met his.

"Fi?" He said slowly, unsure if this was all a dream.

"My own brother nearly got his ass blown to hell and I hear it from my Major?" The fire in her eyes was almost the color of her hair. "When were you going to tell me?"

"I was—" he started, but couldn't think of a good excuse.

"—Being a bonehead, I know," Fi cut him off as she crossed her arms. "Don't get yourself killed, especially this close to Mike's birthday."

Liam suddenly felt like the galaxy'sworst father. There was so much going on in this side of the universe that his own son's thirteenth birthday slipped his mind. Thankfully the preparations were distributed to trusted family members and nothing seemed amiss.

He ran his free hand over his face and gave Fiona Shepard a relieved smile. It was so good to see her again, even if she did look livid. "Did you pick up the present?"

"It's en-route to the Citadel. Do you know if you're coming yet?"

"Not sure," Liam replied, hoping he didn't sleep through shore leave destination planning. "Are you sure you want to send the present this early? We still have a couple of weeks. Who'll hold it until then?"

Fi raised a brow and inclined her head as if wondering who replaced her brother's head with an empty one. "Who do you think?"

"Mom." Liam chuckled to himself. There was only one woman who could put that reaction on Fiona's face. "I spoke to her you know."

"Did you record it? Her conversations tend to last longer that way," Fiona quipped, shuffling around her desk. The screen wobbled for a bit before her image returned, this time at eye level. The call was seamlessly transferred from the computer to her omni-tool. Liam was proud to see some tech knowledge stuck with her.

"You know she'll be there," Liam said softly, studying the nice decor of her apartment behind her. Conservative tones of black and beige lit up with pallets of yellow and red. "I hope it won't be a problem?"

"I'm not gonna stop her from seeing my nephew," Fi said as she stepped over a threshold into another room. "Just keep her away from me."

As much as he wanted to just talk and catch up, Fiona looked like she was running double time and would need to leave soon. Which meant it was crucial to get her opinion now instead of when it was too late. "Fi, I have to ask you something."

"Make it quick please." Fiona started applying her favorite red lipstick and that's when he noticed how well she was dressed. Instead of the usual military garb, she had a nice low cut but modest violet dress on.

"You going on a date?" He asked, watching as she whisked back her stray red strands.

"That's not what you want to know, Liam," she chided without breaking stride.

This reminded him of all the times he wasn't there to be the big brother. He never had the honor of punching her prom date or driving her home after the first night of drinking. That was all John's domain and he only knew about it through letters. "Who's the guy?"

"Kaiden for your big fat information," she replied, with the hint of a smile. It was almost ironic given their track record as a couple. "Now what's up?"

"I thought you two were..."

"On again. I'll leave it at that," Fiona concluded as she inspected her handi-work. "So what's your other burning question?"

"Have you ever made something...explode?"

She stopped her primping and gave him a look that quickly turned into a laugh. "Is that a trick question or did you not read my service record?"

This was good. A happy Fiona would be more receptive to his crazy sighting, at least in theory. "I'm serious, Fi. Have you ever concentrated your biotics enough to cause a demolition strong enough to bring down a building?"

Fiona stopped what she was doing and studied him with concern. "You saw something didn't you?"

"When I 'nearly got my ass blown to hell' as you so colorfully put it," he sighed and hoped just this once to be proven wrong. "Have you seen or heard of anything like it?"

"Liam, I can crush shipping containers and mechs like there's no tomorrow but I can't do that. Even the strongest biotic I know can't level a whole building by himself."

"Wait, there's someone stronger than Kaidy bear?" Liam teased unable to help himself. She was always droning on about how good he was with biotics.

"Shut up, brother. That's not who I meant," she said through a grin, "Though Kaiden is actually getting pretty good."

"I'll take your word for it," Liam replied, remembering the last time Kaiden managed to lift a table with only minimal sweat. "But this wasn't some strategic demolition, Fi. He just exploded. Others reported a mushroom cloud following a blast of biotics." He saw curiosity in Fiona's eyes and even though he had no solid proof to offer, he could sense her belief in him anyways. In a way it warmed his heart.

"I'll keep my ears open for anything eyes-only." She tapped a perfectly manicured red nail against her desk. It was probably the first time he ever saw her go all out. Either Kaiden was going to town or Fiona finally decided to get in touch with her inner fashionista. Either way she earned it. "We both know there's only one employer who specializes in making the impossible possible and they sign our paychecks."

"Thanks Fi," he said, happy to know he wasn't alone in this guessing game. "Sorry to keep you. Now go enjoy yourself and say hi to Kaidy bear for me."

Fiona shook her head in mock dismay but smiled when she spoke. "Will do. Just try not to get yourself killed, okay?"

"That's a promise, sis." When the omni-tool disconnected he stopped to lean against the guard rails and watch the training below. If there is one thing he wished he could change, it's that he had more time with his family both then and now.

**A/N: **Special thanks to Leej for the 'Kaidy bear' nickname I just had to use. Also I recommend searching Veti-gel on google. We're one step closer to a Mass Effect future!


	18. Chapter 18

**Location:**_** Med-Bay observation, Cerberus Frigate 'Albatross', drifting the outer orbit of the Newton System in stealth mode.**_

Petrovsky watched with relief as Miranda Lawson spoke to Banes. She looked out of place in the admittedly spartan med bay with that white personnel were required to wear labcoats or at least the proper medical uniform, but seeing as how she was actually bringing the crazed scientist back to life, Petrovsky made an exception.

A week ago he was ready to kick Banes off the ship; or better yet, send his body to a Cerberus lab for study. But after reading the classified report operative Lawson divulged he felt sick enough to consider an extended shore leave. Jeremy Roberts was one of his best operatives, but he never understood his compulsion to drink. After reading the full classified documents on Banes, Petrovksy understood very well. Banes was a monster but it took one to create him. Petrovsky struggled with the fact that his people were even capable of what Miranda described. Biotic experimentation on **c**hildren? Petrovksy was disgusted. But the members of the now defunct Tier Six were originally his people, he was just as responsible for their results. He only prayed Elena and the others had less shameful experimentation under their belts

"Rest in peace my friend," he muttered to no one in particular as he shut the holo-pad containing the post-mission report on Jeremy Roberts. At least the L4 implants and the bare bones of a project dubbed Phoenix were now in their possession, Jeremy's legacy.

"Amazing isn't she?" Dima said as he entered so quietly that Petrovsky didn't realize he was there until they were shoulder to shoulder. Peeking from beneath his shaggy hair Dima smiled as they watched Miranda. "One week under her care and he finally wakes up."

"Where are we in our search for the others?" Petrovsky asked before Dima got too carried away with his admiration.

"We contact local agents and keep an eye on Alliance chatter. So far nothing, but with the news of one of their own dead it is only a matter of time before the others make their move," Dima relayed.

Petrovsky watched as Miranda sat at Banes' footside, continuing their conversation. Since the soundproof room offered them some privacy, he couldn't hear their words. But from her relaxed posture he guessed they were comfortable with each other. "Good," he said absently.

"I know operative Roberts was a friend of yours," Dima said with something akin to remorse in his voice, "if we had known what Banes would do—"

"What's done is done, Dimitri," Petrovsky said as he clasped his hands behind his back. "See to it that we bring the others in alive. If possible."

"Yes sir," Dima replied and turned to leave. Petrovsky didn't have to turn around to hear the conflict in his voice.

"And Dimitri," Petrovsky spoke. The other man stopped in his tracks and turned around. "You did good. I know how much you wanted to kill those men after what they've done to your team. But we cannot afford a full rebuttal from the Alliance."

Dima shook his head and looked up from beneath his curly hair. "General, orders are orders. My rifle does not fire unless you command it."

Petrovsky knew it was meant to be encouraging but something about the reminder unsettled him. Every time he sent men to their deaths it was on his hands, he knew that, accepted it even. But knowing that his orders also took away their right for revenge, their right to strike back like they have been born and bred to do… It added yet another perspective to his over-burdened mind.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Med-Bay room 332— Cerberus Frigate 'Albatross'— drifting the outer orbit of the Newton System in stealth mode**._

Banes' vitals were strong. The new drug regiment would see him stabilized and mobile within the hour. Some of the techs praised her work, but Miranda hated the fact that credit for Banes' recovery rested solely with her father. His breakthrough in regenerative bio-chemical engineering brought Banes back to life. Too bad it came at the expense of her childhood. Even now, just being around medical equipment made her blood run cold. But she forced herself to suck it up and vowed to never show such childish discomfort.

His skin no longer matched the color of his sandy blonde hair and better yet he was conscious and very talkative.

"I knew if I acted out enough, our old friend would have no choice but to bring you in on this," Banes teased as he started disconnecting the medical equipment from his arms.

"You could've asked," Miranda said and crossed her arms. She didn't want to touch any of the equipment let alone try and stop him.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Banes replied, as he struggled to sit up. The tangled mess of IV's and drug tubes now hung from the side of his bed.

Miranda watched him carefully, not willing to interfere while gathering as much observable data as she could on his condition. The last time they met he was not a biotic. Now he was showing alarmingly strong biotic problem was she had no idea what was sustaining it. Unlike regular biotics there were no eezo molecules circulating in his nervous system. No trace of red sand or other hallucinogens and certainly no help from any biotic amp. Pouring over Jeremy's early research to induce biotics in unexposed teenagers proved fruitless since Banes was only part of the control group. He didn't go through the horrific experiments the other teens suffered and eventually died from. She was also hesitant about his loyalty to Cerberus. Yet despite his childhood altercation with the group his service record marked him as one of the most loyal operatives when The Illusive Man took charge.

"I hope they took care of my L4 research while I was napping?" Banes asked, running a hand to mess his already tousled sandy-blonde hair.

"It's in good hands," she said absently as her gaze dropped to his arms in puzzlement. A faint matrix of black lined his arms. None of the scans revealed why but she agreed with the doctor's suspicion that it had something to do with his newly acquired biotics.

Banes stood from his bed in nothing but dress pants. His defined physique could rival the average marine, chiseled muscle definition and washboard abs helped: all strength with none of the bulk. Perhaps in another life he was a surfer or a model, but unfortunately neither in this one. The black veins were thickest at his biceps but died out before they fully touched the center of his chest.

He shuffled about, strewing gowns in every direction as he searched for his prized possession. "Now where did they put my suit?"

"Here," Miranda replied and tossed him a sleeveless white, gold and black Cerberus tank with wide lapels to cover his shoulders. She personally threw the old suit out the airlock. They were a team and there was no excuse for not wearing Cerberus colors.

Banes caught it and held it up, his grey eyes steeled in disapproval. "This is new."

"Get used to it. Cerberus is changing." She stood, her work here was done and she had some traitors to catch. "I have work to do."

"Lawson." He called out her name, it muffled against the fabric of the shirt as he poked his head through the top.

Miranda stopped and looked back to him.

"Thanks," he said sincerely. For the first time in too long she heard the real man underneath the crazy scientist persona. However the moment passed quickly as a feral smile took over his features, "but I'm going to find the rest of them."

Miranda shifted to one leg and watched him appraisingly. On one hand she wanted to be in charge of this mission, enough people have put it at jeopardy already. But Banes actually delivered results and could be a valuable asset. She also didn't know anyone else here. Not that she trusted Banes whatsoever, but a familiar face aboard this ship wouldn't hurt. Plus it would give her the chance to study his strange new ability in detail. The hard part was selling it to the Illusive Man who was adamant about getting Banes back to Chronos Station.

"You'll need the Illusive Man's approval," Miranda said.

Banes cackled as he moved towards her, each measured step bringing him closer until he was inches from her face. His breath caressed her ear as he leaned in close. "I wasn't asking."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: So sorry for the long delay. But I'm now the proud owner of a graduate degree so yeah had to take some time off for all that jazz! **

_**Location: Outskirts of Endeavor colony— Decimated Slums district apartment block—Ontarom.**_

"How's it look to you, Shepard?" Ellie's voice came through his comm.

"Not so great." Liam held onto the overhead rails as they circled the blast zone. The open door of the Kodiak allowed the blinding light of heaven to obscure his view of pure hell below.

Both buildings looked like a nuke was dropped on them. Everything from pipeworks to human remains and destroyed furniture lay half charred, half buried in the sand. People wearing fire-engine red armor crawled around the wreckage like bugs, poking and prodding at what little was left. While all the light blues of Ontarom PD kept watch over the steadily growing field of black body bags.

It didn't matter what anyone believed at this point, that Banes guy caused this destruction. There was no denying it.

An agglomeration of news trucks and camera drones already congested the perimeter like a bunch of vultures. Liam scowled and hollered back over the wind. "Can we land away from the news crews?"

"Sure thing," came her reply as she banked sharply to the right and Liam tightened his grip to keep from flying out the door. At least someone was having fun. He knew Ellie was itching to touch flight controls ever since their arrival on Ontarom but underestimated her penchant for trident**-**like aerials. When the solid feel of terra firma hit his feet he left the power down procedures to Ellie and ran out looking for the Captain.

Casey and Hunter were fielding questions while helping a sizable squad of marines separate the reporters from the salvage crew and local police officers.

"There he is!" A reporter shouted. "Shepard could we get a quote?"

"War hero, over here!" a photographer heckled while controlling his drone.

Liam ducked the cameras and tuned out the requests. He only had eyes for Flores who was crouched beside some bloodstained rubble as the salvage crew worked around her. Their tools cut through the support beams which workers dragged away piece by piece until they revealed a tiny arm.

The captain removed her gauntlet and felt for a helmet obscured her expression but the rise and fall of her shoulders told them everything. One of the bigger guys wearing the red armor with the local fire department logo crouched down beside her and tugged.

The arm came loose, nothing but a bloody stump without a body. The crew recoiled in horror.

Flores stood and looked to Liam who was rooted to the spot. His gaze never leaving the tiny arm as bile started to rise in his throat. A week ago, if he had the stones to act earlier this kid would still be alive,so would his father, so would everyone else. Liam managed to get behind a freestanding pillar before puking out everything he had ever eaten in the past two years.

**~O~**

"_Hey mister, you're going to get us out of here, right?" The tiny little girl tugged on his shirtsleeves._

_Liam was down on his knees unable to process what just happened. A growing pool of blood seeped around the scientists and pirates face down on the floor around them. _

_A little boy no older than 10 handed him his rifle. "I think this is yours," the kid said._

_The other children started smearing the blood of Elanos Haliat, first out of curiosity before taking great pleasure in the act. _

"_Mister I—?" The little girl tensed when he suddenly clutched both children into a tight hug. _

_They had never known kindness, there was no way they could have, not in this place. "You're going to be okay," Liam whispered into their hair as he fought the sting in his eyes. "I'm getting you out of here. All of you. I promise."_

**~O~**

The cool wind dried the perspiration on his face but also puffed the sour stench of his stomach contents right back at him.

Shepard knew whose footsteps were behind him without turning around. He wanted to move but it was like trying to swim through quicksand. Thankfully his armor kept him from falling face first into the dirt.

A canteen appeared under his chin followed by a simple order from the external speakers. "Drink."

He quickly complied and chugged the water down greedily. His stomach churned at the sudden intake but kept it down.

"I thought I confined you to the ship?" Flores said, coolly as he stared up at her tinted visor.

Liam stood tall and braced himself against the wind. Guilt was useless here, all he could do was vow to find the guy responsible and tear his head off before any Alliance big-wig told him otherwise. "I needed to see it."

"You didn't." She took off her helmet and held it alongside her glove in one hand. Flores' gaze swept over him, she was almost like Chakwas, silently taking everything in without betraying a single emotion.

Liam handed the canteen back to her and flexed his gloved fingers, wondering if he would be able to even handle a gun today. "This was caused by biotics, ma'am. I don't know how but I know what I saw."

Liam wasn't prepared for what happened next. After clipping the canteen back to her belt, Flores closed the distance between them and felt his forehead. It was only a second but Liam committed every detail of being this close to memory. The way her breath tickled his lips as she exhaled, the soft way her lashes rose when heat jumped from his skin onto her palms.

But it was over as soon as she raised her omni-tool between them. "Hunter, grab a paramedic and—"

Liam snagged her wrist as his brain came back on-line from its momentary short-circuit. "I'm fine Captain." It was a lie, his head still hurt like hell and the smallest footsteps caused migraines, but that was the last thing she needed to worry about. Instead, his eyes drifted to the clear fatigue under her eyes as well her overall dejected state. _How long has she been up?_ "I just wanted to see how you're doing. I've been told you've been here every day for the past week."

A charged moment passed between them, Liam felt her pulse quicken where he lightly held her wrist. Some insane force inside him wanted to close that distance fast, to take that flicker of hopelessness away from her, but Hunter's questioning voice through her omni-tool ended the moment.

Reluctantly Liam let her go and she stepped a pace back. "Cancel that," she spoke into her omni-tool and started for the perimeter of more wreckage without glancing back to him. "There's nothing here."

Flores kept talking and Liam kept walking, not leaving her side. He understood the need to forget and push through all too well, but simply brushing things aside wasn't going to make them easier in the future. So he made it his duty to bring up Elena.

"Elena cleared out pretty well. She didn't leave any personal belongings otherwise I would've brought them to you," Liam said, watching as she scanned the charred remains of personal items. "Have you ever been inside?"

Flores shook her head and searched him for answers. It seemed to be working, the heaviness that was in her eyes earlier was replaced with curiosity. Liam focused on making the best mental picture of Elena's apartment to somewhat comfort her. "It was a really nice place." That sounded boring and phoney even to his ears, but he didn't want to say that it screamed loneliness so he gave another explanation. "I don't think she used it much. It was likely a safehouse, nothing more."

"Nothing is right," Flores spoke, as she stopped to let two medics pass them with a black bag. She didn't look at him when she spoke. "This morning Caplus Stark disappeared from the hospital. ExoGeni is searching _really _hard for him but no one's talking."

The switch in topic caught him off guard, but the implications were big. That Stark kid was their only clue to what appeared to be a xenophobic uprising that's been brewing here for years. "Any family?"

"They were transferred off-world a few days ago," she relayed, still not looking at him. Instead he could see her mind processing everything around them: the damage, the carnage, what those people must have felt as life was crushed out of them.

Liam stepped into her line of sight, forcing her eyes to his own. Sure all of this other stuff was important, but the Captain was seemingly masking her pain by focusing on another investigation. He knew the powerful draw of wanting to forget. "How are you doing?"

It took her a moment to process what he meant, but when she did that faraway look disappeared. "I'm kind of glad I didn't send her that housewarming gift," she replied with the ghost of a smile tugging the corners of her lips.

Liam smiled back but couldn't shake his growing concern. There was no way she could be this calm right now. And yet here she was not only coordinating a rescue effort but keeping tabs on another investigation. At this rate even the best leaders burned out.

Flores was about to leave when he spoke up, "we'll find her. It's not over yet."

He was relieved to see something akin to belief in her eyes, but that moment was quickly shattered when he saw an angry mob of citizens approaching the area. They were armed with torches, rocks and sticks and used bandanas to obscure their faces. The news folks got out of the way and quickly focused on the new arrivals as they hurled rocks at the marines and tried to push through. Flores already had her helmet on and yelled orders as she ran ahead. Casey's biotics deflected the weak first wave but Liam knew it was only a matter of time before tensions boiled over.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Undisclosed safehouse/residence—New Thebes, Capitol Colony of planet Anhur.**_

Hackers weren't known for their social skills or aptitude for interior design, but Gus was different. Elena expected the 200 pound conspiracy theorist or at least the teenage girl who had more patience for screens than she did for people, but not Gus. When they showed up on his doorstep late last night she was sure the sharp dressed man looked like he stepped out of a Kassa Fabrication catalogue. With short brown hair and a warm smile he took them in without question.

Mark was out like a light, still feeling shitty after the long trip. Elena was starting to worry but it was Gus who actually did something. When he found traces of polonium rounds in his friend, Elena wanted to kick herself. She had been so focused on sealing the wounds shut she didn't think to fish out the toxic metal.

When Gus patched him up he tried to console her but Elena wasn't having any of it. If it weren't for him, Mark would be dead because of her oversight and they both knew it.

Now that Mark was fast asleep with his head in her lap, Elena flicked on the 90'' holo-screen which dominated the entire wall. She flipped through a few Krogan cooking shows and some asari bounty hunter flick before landing on GNN's coverage of Ontarom.

Not wanting to wake Mark she bypassed the sound to the comm implant in her ear.

"Today on Ontarom the Alliance is investigating a bombing that killed forty-five tenants on the outskirts of Endeavor colony." Live footage of rescue personnel digging through the carnage stilled her hand in Mark's hair. Pictures of people she called friends and neighbours were among the dead.

Timmy, the little boy who lived with his father down the hall was listed among the dead. Her thoughts drifted to those first days out of the academy. Even though Cerberus scouted her right from day one, she fought to enter the battlefield and kick ass, despite the Alliance's tendency to keep most biotics garrisoned. But after a handful of front-line engagements, she remembered losing her stomach on more than one occasion. At least with espionage there were no dismembered bodies to step over, no dead kids splashing across her screen. Actually that was a lie... Jeremy's citizen ID photo splashed across the screen and Elena remembered that horrible time he decided to share that tidbit of his research.

She remembered his smile and how it was always overshadowed by those deep bags of regret. The way he drank himself into an alcohol dependency. The way he tried to seek penance and didn't look like he got any in the end. Still here she was living another day when her friend was now six feet under.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mark asked, startling her when he bolted to a sitting position. "What's wrong?"

Elena wiped her burning eyes as the reporters continued and shook her head. "It's nothing. You should get some sle—"

Mark only framed her face with his hands and caressed the tears from her cheeks. "Elena?"

When she didn't say anything he pulled her into his embrace. Elena clung to him and let her tears fall for the fallen. Never again would she be greeted to Jeremy's drunken pep-talks when she was having a bad day or hear the roar of his laughter when they enjoyed each other's company.

From the crook of Mark's neck she watched the drone footage of on-site Alliance personnel through blurry eyes.

The tension left her body as he rubbed circles on her back and whispered sweet bullshit against her hair. Elena wanted to believe everything would be okay, but images like this made her question everything. What if this entire plan would just end up with all of them dead? What if their research fell into the wrong hands? What if those hands were Alliance? There was no guarantee they weren't capable of doing the same thing.

"Jeremy's dead," she managed to mumble into his chest.

"I know." She felt his cool lips at her temple and closed her eyes. "We'll be okay," he whispered, "I promise."

Elena laughed dryly. "You can't promise me that."

"Watch me." Something in his tone almost convinced her, but then the cold weight of reality burst that bubble. She pushed lightly at his chest, mindful of the recently healed portions.

"How are you feeling?" Her hands roamed over his shoulders and chest. He didn't look to be in any pain, but the man was a good liar when his manliness was at stake.

Mark shrugged and his eyes closed briefly when she patted on a ticklish part at his side. Elena bit down a playful smile and pulled him as gently as possible into a sweet kiss. He still tasted like a tangy mix of cinnamon and chocolate. The same flavor of branded candies they had at the hotel lobby which only served to remind her that they skipped dinner. She shivered when the coarse stubble of his jaw meshed against her skin, but forced herself to pull away from his dazed expression.

"We're working closely with the Endeavor Police Department. I can't reveal any details at the moment, but we need space if we're going to catch the people responsible." Elena's head whipped back to the screen where Dana was being interviewed. Her sister was the epitome of calm under fire, she didn't even flinch at the questions reporter fired at her. Leave it to Dana to be unfazed in the middle of ground zero.

Mark followed her gaze and registered a connection when Dana's full name and rank flashed across the screen. "So that's what she looks like," he said, cocking his head to the side.

Elena only nodded absently as she watched Dana's eyes. They moved rapidly, digesting every word the reporter threw her way before answering in full. To the regular observer she was solid, but Elena could feel the underlying panic hidden to the general public. Perhaps it was a stretch, but maybe something about standing in the rubble of her sister's apartment had finally struck a chord in Dana. The swell of happiness for being missed was choked under more guilt.

She felt Mark's kiss on her head before he mumbled something about the washroom and left. Alone in the living room, Elena listened with rapt attention to the many things her sister could not say.

"There were multiple casualties and we're still ID'ing the bodies. So far the victims seem to be civilians who were at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Another reporter barreled through the crowd and hijacked the interview by thrusting a microphone near Dana's right. "Captain Flores, Khalisah al-Jilani of Westerlund news. Is it true that your sister Elena Flores was a tenant here?"

Elena felt her throat constrict. Who did this bitch think she was to ask such stupid questions? Especially on galactic television.

Dana froze momentarily and Elena could see the symphony of hurt, worry and anger play across her features. However it quickly faded into a mask of stoic indifference before anyone could follow up.

Yet having home field advantage over the universal public still hadn't prepared Elena for her sister's next words. "My sister is dead."

Elena felt her mouth go slack at the four simple words, they were uttered with such certainty, such clarity that it was impossible not to feel their sting.

The dumbass reporter and everyone around her grew quiet for a moment, then two, before suddenly they all spoke at once. Dana herself seemed to have enough and turned to leave. "That's all I have for now," Dana finished.

But they hounded after her. "How long have you known of your sister's involvement with—"

"Surprise, surprise it's my favorite reporter." A cute guy practically materialized at Dana's side, slung an arm over Khalisah's shoulders and steered her away from Dana.

"Heh...yes well..." Khalisah al-Jilani looked like a deer caught in a bear trap, but for the sake of drone cams tried to maneuver the situation her way. "And now we're live with war hero Commander Shepard—"

"—this was a senseless tragedy and many good people lost their lives. But this holiday season I don't want any man, woman or child to worry. We'll find whoever's responsible. With great minds like Colonel Brock in charge, there's no way we can fail."

Elena gave a crooked smile, reveling in just how flustered Jilani looked in his grip. Dana was now safely off-camera and let this handsome green-eyed war hero top the ratings of Westerlund news. It would have been romantic had the circumstances not been so somber. For a moment Elena wondered what relationship this man had with her sister to basically sacrifice himself to the dogs like this.

"And there you have it, Commander Shepard with some wise-words of the holiday spirit to uplift the tragedy here on Ontarom," the GNN reporter whose drone Elena was watching announced to the camera. "Stay with us and we'll bring you live footage of further developments. This is Diana Allers from GNN."

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Captain's office—Cerberus Frigate 'Albatross'.**_

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Petrovsky proclaimed, trying his best not to seem distracted as he watched the news from Ontarom. When the drones honed in on Shepard, he felt the color drain from his all the soldiers that could possibly cross his path, it had to be Shepard. Now Petrovsky had to manage this disaster on topof family obligations. He had the date at the back of his mind, but with everything going on it simply fell off the radar. Now his wife took it upon herself to personally remind him of all family functions and for that he was grateful.

"I thought as much," Galena deadpanned, her vibrant brown eyes not believing him one bit. And why should she? It was not as if he missed the birth of his grandson, arrived late for his own daughter's wedding and was now on the verge of forgetting his grandson's birthday. "Oleg, I know you do important work, my love. But family always comes first. You taught her that."

A tired sigh escaped him at the mention of his daughter. She grew up so fast that sometimes he forgot that the little girl he read stories to was now the citadel's most coveted architect. "How is she doing?"

Sveta hesitated at his office door, but Oleg beckoned her over anyways. Her eyes narrowed just as Shepard finished up his speech.

She swiped a strand of raven hair from her eyes and smiled. "Perhaps you should stop by and ask her yourself. Say hello to Svetlana for me. I have to go now."

Sveta blushed in mild embarrassment at being caught. Petrovsky chuckled for the first time in what seemed like too long before wishing his wife a good night and signing off.

"How does she always know?" Sveta inquired as she reclined in one of the tub chairs before his desk.

"I used to believe she was a real psychic," Petrovsky explained, while forming a steeple with his hands and leaning over them. "I still do actually."

"Space magic. Just what this universe needs." Sveta rolled her eyes, always the skeptic. "The technologists are decrypting the failsafe we recovered. Another two hours before all of Major Flores' field logs are decoded."

Petrovsky about the speed of the decryption didn't sit right with him. Tier Six archives were encrypted by the best cryptologists money could buy. They were practically unbreakable and programmed to self-destruct if anyone attempted to crack the vault which stored back-ups for an operative's greybox. But it wasn't just the speed, it was the fact that it was left there at all which surprised Petrovsky. He taught them better than to leave trails like this, no matter how well disguised they were.

This particular vault was hidden in the circuits of a 20th century flat-screen television. Something that would pass as a decoration to the average person, was actually a repository for sensitive Cerberus documents. While it was good to put them in something so frail, since the television's bulk would stop most burglars, it also seemed very reckless. And if there's one thing Elena Flores was not— reckless.

"General, are you listening?" Sveta inquired mid-way between offering him holo-pad. Petrovsky slowly pulled out of his musings and reached out for Sveta's holo-pad. She continued the brief albeit with a little more concern.

"What am I looking at Sveta?" Petrovsky asked, staring at the random string of sentences.

After two hundred hours we discovered...serum—rachnii

Radiation seems...—affects.

Medical staff on-site...casualties—in proximity...—Queen

Evacuations—Sigma...—23

Destroy specimen—reintegrate...close

"We are in the process of figuring that out. This was all we were able to transcribe and...Is everything okay?" Sveta's question hovered in the air as Petrovsky scanned the information once again. Something caught his eye, the first letter of each sentence had him smiling.

"Where are the technologists?" He asked, nearly knocking his chair over.

Sveta looked after him, flustered by his quick departure. "In the lab—"

"Tell them to stop immediately," he barked over his shoulder. "Anyone who does not drop their work right now will be put in the brig.

As Sveta promptly relayed the orders Petrovsky strode from his office with a smile. _Well played Elena, Well played_.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Training sub-deck/testing floor—Cerberus Frigate 'Albatross'.**_

Miranda took cover behind the newest prototype of Cerberus branded portable shielding. The standard issue cobra pistol felt natural in her grip, but she wouldn't dare let it slacken. Somewhere in the wide underbelly of the dark expanse was Armistan Banes, watching, waiting for her to do just that so he could strike.

Miranda lowered her weapon and listened for any sounds that would give away his position. He said there was something remarkable he had to show her. He spent hours locked in that lab of his, researching and pouring over her recovery notes. Now that he was in a sharing mood there was no way she would pass on the opportunity to figure out the source of his power.

"Still cautious, Lawson?" His voice boomed near her ear.

She whipped around to face him but there was no one there. Not ready to admit herself into a mental institution, Miranda answered the darkness evenly instead. "Always."

Movement from the far side of the platform caught her eye. Miranda's biotics flared in response as she crouched at the ready. Not one to be baited, she hurled a warp towards the blue tendrils and dashed behind the adjacent cover station. The new vantage point didn't give confirmation of a hit but sticking to the outer perimeter allowed Miranda to minimize his attack options.

"Why do you reject your gifts?" Banes' voice sounded from all directions making it impossible to discern its origin. "History shows us that continued rejection breeds contempt."

She considered her answer carefully. Each time she spoke she was giving away her position. But Miranda had the benefit of a well-fortified perimeter and Banes couldn't get up here without alerting her to his location. "If you want to discuss philosophy let's turn on the lights."

When she slid behind the next station of cover, the one she previously occupied exploded. The biotically charged shards shimmered as they floated to the ground. The brief light illuminated Bane's shadow on the walls south of her position.

When the energy dissolved by evanescence**,** Miranda side-stepped into the perfect shooting angle. Banes, or rather his shadow, was now directly in her line of sight. Taking a deep breath she stood from cover and caught Banes square in her sights. "Don't move."

Banes face contorted into a cold smile. His blue aura pulsed in a steady rhythm under his control. "A simple gun? How disappointing. I thought the perfect woman would use the perfect weapon."

It got the job done so she wasn't about to debate her choice of weapon with a mad-man. Miranda tapped the laser sight to get her point across. "I thought you had something to show me?"

"Oh but I do." His smile fell, something in those eyes turned feral as his lip curled in disgust. Miranda barely slipped into cover as the inferno of biotic energy grazed her cheek. She sidled left and the deployable shields burst into smithereens, she tried to backtrack and move right but a warp bubble splashed the area.

There was no time to panic, the situation called for precision. Miranda deployed a tech overload to the portable shields above Banes. When the crackling static sounded, she used the momentary distraction to dash from cover and embed herself behind another set of shields.

A sucking motion followed by a pop carried the energy-engulfed Armistan Banes to stand directly before her.

She readied her biotics but it was too late as coldness pierced through her armor, wrapping itself around her skin. Miranda felt powerless as she was levitated her into the air. She struggled against the energy yet it was unlike anything she had ever felt. Sure there were the trials her father put her through, the many opponents who were ordered to use biotics against her until she got a feel for its effects. But nothing like this, nothing this intense, this paralyzing and cold.

It spread through her limbs like a virus, slowly condemning each portion to a numbness that she had never experienced. Banes waved his hands closer and pulled her to him until she was face-to-face with familiar blue irises. But there was something different about them, faint black veins were encroaching on his face, as if reaching for his eyes.

"What have you done?" Miranda demanded, relieved to hear that her voice sounded strong and commanding even under the circumstances.

"Let me show you." Miranda felt her body follow his retreating arm before he launched her at the opposite wall. The biotic influence left her body mid-flight; she was in control again and quickly spun so that her back would take the impact.

The sound of a thumb being pulled from a glass bottle sounded below. Next thing she knew, the coldness returned and suspended her at least 10 feet above the highest platform. While her movements were restricted the first time, she now found herself retaining a full range of motion. She moved her hands, reveling at the strange feeling of being in control without control as she was lowered.

Banes gently caught her in his arms and she grabbed his shoulders quickly when his biotic influence stopped. That's when she noticed how he was on the upper platform now. It was damn near impossible, even if he ran through the entirety of her trajectory he still couldn't be here in time to intercept her.

His arms felt solid under her knees and she didn't squirm or otherwise step down. At least with his arms occupied and hers free, there was a tactical advantage for her to exploit.

"What the bloody hell was that?" she asked, unabashedly allowing her curiosity to run free as she traced the tendrils of darkness at the sides of his face. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. This power didn't just boost his biotics, the man practically defied physics now. "Is this Jeremy's work?"

Banes didn't say anything and his expression remained pensive despite the mention of Jeremy. Miranda thought it would garner some reaction, but he continued his easy gait towards the platform's railing and sat her down before him. It was two floors down to the bottom but Miranda felt right at home before danger.

"Or perhaps this is Elena Flores' legacy?" She tried and still got nothing. He wasn't talking and only stood before her with that challenge in his eye.

Miranda buried her hand in his hair. He didn't protest one bit as she turned his head this way and that, analyzing the faint matrix from all angles. She even resorted to somewhat massaging his scalp in an effort to get any kind of reaction from him. But his patient cleaver gaze didn't give anything away.

It unsettled her in a way she dared not risk exposing. Back when they first met he was like any other man in a long-line of genius types Cerberus employed. Always eager to push the boundries, always demanding progress but unlike so many he was actually devoted to his work, a fact Miranda admired.

Most scientists had to be seduced, coerced or just plain teased before they sent anything her way, but not Banes. He enjoyed challenging her and she would be lying to herself if she didn't look forward to their intellectual sparring. This however, was a whole other level.

While their relationship never graduated into anything intimate there was an underlying sense of familiarity mixed with warning signs of danger. She couldn't articulate it but Banes always made her feel like a treasured best friend while at the same time never hesitating to completely disregard the majority of her orders and jeopardizing all of her missions. Despite that, Miranda felt like she was the only one capable of working with Banes, since other operatives usually found themselves without a vital organ shortly after meeting him.

Now Banes was staring at her with open admiration. But unlike so many who were distracted by her beauty his eyes burned directly into her soul. She could feel it. "What is it?" **s**he asked evenly, sweeping tufts of his hair from his ears as she followed the matrix to its origin.

"Why do you continue to suppress your gift?" He barely blinked when she accidentally brushed a fresh cut where the glass dug into him.

She had no clue of what he was talking about, but since it was the only way to keep him engaged Miranda played along. "Some gifts aren't meant to be opened. Just like Pandora's box."

"I managed to acquire mine. It took years to perfect, yet here I am now, a biotic god among men." Banes unleashed his blue aura. Miranda stilled for a moment, but nothing happened. It's as if his biotics had commands to ignore her touch and the earlier coldness was nowhere to be found now. "But what you have...it's innate."

"Is this rachnii tech?" Miranda asked, trailing her index finger over the most prominent black vein at his throat.

His hands gripped the railing at either side of her. But the iron fury dissipated as soon as it arrived. "The rachnii were weak. I am not."

"Neither am I," Miranda replied, holding his chin to keep his eyes in line with hers. "That's why I want to know what you've done."

Banes bowed his head and laughed before looking up to her again. "Show me. Use your gift and show me you're not afraid to take the first step."

Miranda was stumped when Banes suddenly stepped away and clamped a hand dead-center of his new Cerberus inscribed sleeveless shirt. She quirked a brow and hopped off the railing. "You expect me to destroy you?"

Banes stopped being cryptic and now looked taken aback. "You can't destroy me, Lawson." His mouth morphed into a smirk as he chuckled. "But I want you to try."

Something about the way he said that held challenge and genuine desire in his voice. A feeling of dread washed over her. Not because he was asking her to kill him, but because of the hidden plea underneath the mask of a god-complex. Something wasn't right.

But before she could refuse Banes unleashed his power her way. Miranda rolled out of the way and countered with a warp.

Banes only smiled as her cloud dissipated rather pathetically and left him unharmed. The metal of her gun glistened from inside the pit below. She vaulted over the railing and felt the biotic powers whizz by overhead.

Miranda broke her fall by suspending herself with biotic energy. She leapt for her gun and rolled just in time to evade Banes' next strike that scorched the floor beside her.

She squeezed behind an artificial incline made of concrete, it was fixed in place since it acted like a jumping point for the obstacle course down here. Her mind tried to make sense of his biotics as she waited. Why would the ground char if it felt so cold to be in his biotic field? How much influence did he have over dark energy? As she mused, Miranda heard that plunger-pop sound and peeked up to see Banes approach.

With a sweep of his hand, her concrete cover was tossed aside like matchsticks. Miranda leveled her gun at him but didn't shoot. She spoke but couldn't find the words as something started choking her neck. Using his biotics he brought her out and gave her full control of her unarmed hand, while the dark energy around her throat kept its death grip. "Show me, Lawson. Show me true power!"

It was one thing to manipulate mass effect fields, but directly wielding dark energy and taking control of an object was one of the most complex maneuvers a biotic could learn. Her father had all but given up when she nearly killed herself trying to levitate the dog, nothing bad could happen to his dynasty. Banes stopped, waiting in anticipation as her aura grew.

Miranda closed her fist and Banes was successfully under her influence. Yet instead of panicking the man cackled with glee.

But just as she was starting to get comfortable her energy dipped dangerously low. In one swift move she hurled Banes across the room. The sound of his body hitting the steel wall reverberated through the facility, as if someone was doing renovations.

Miranda collapsed on all fours as her life's energy ebbed through her fingers. Exhaustion lulled her to sleep but every cell in her body ached as if she walked through an inferno. Her throat burned with thirst, but she pushed that aside as she struggled to get up on shaky legs.

Steadying herself with one hand on a portable shield, Miranda swept her sights across the field for any sign of Banes. She nearly jumped when a strong hand enclosed her gun-bearing one and slowly moved it aside. Armistan Banes was at her side looking like he had just won the lottery. His smile was infectious but she swallowed hers down as fury rose to the surface. This mad man nearly killed her and what's worse is that she almost let him.

"Easy, Lawson. You did it." He pulled her into a light hug but Miranda wouldn't let herself relax. Her grip tightened on the pistol she still held at her side. When Banes pulled away his eyes darkened in approval. "You're a goddess."

Tired of his sick games, Miranda jammed the gun's muzzle to his chest and fired two shots.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: You guys are phenomenal! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, support and patience. I know it's been a while since my last update so here's a doub****le update. To the afterlife crew, you guys rock! And Nils my friend this is the result of your hard work, thanks so much for sticking with me this long. **

_**Location: Office of Major Dr. Karin Chakwas—SSV Dublin deck 2— Ontarom **_

Doctor Chakwas' inner office was more inviting than the cold sterile atmosphere of the med bay. A few personal items guarded her desk but not enough to be distracting; mainly just pictures of grinning jarheads with bandaged limbs, some thank you cards and a bamboo plant stuck in a colorful red vase that could only be from Earth.

Liam thumbed at the red chips of the vase while avoiding all eye contact. Coming here was a mistake but he couldn't bring himself to bail either.

"Why are you here, Commander?" Chakwas asked, leaning back in her chair, trying her best to seem inviting.

Liam only shook his head limply. He asked himself that same question over and over again with each step he took towards her office. It's been years since Elysium. If he hadn't snapped then, what made anyone think he would now? This was a waste of time. But aboard the Dub it didn't matter what he thought. The Captain made her ultimatum and now he had a difficult choice to make.

Chakwas seemed used to the silence. Maybe something about dealing with jarheads who weren't good with feelings strengthened her patience. Whatever it was, he was grateful for the silence just before it broke. "What happened between you and Dana?"

His eyes snapped to her for the first time since sitting down. The older woman's smile waned, clearly not liking what she saw. Not that it was any of her business...or was it? He didn't really know what information the psych-wing was allowed to pry out of him.

Chakwas didn't say anything for the longest time, deciding to wait him out again. She was going to win this mental battle whether he liked it or not so he got straight to the point. "Where do I start?"

"The beginning is usually a good place," Chakwas suggested, readying her holo-pad.

Great. Everything would be recorded for the shrinks to scrutinize over. Of course there would always be records. But no doctor-patient confidentiality was going to convince him to say anything more than he needed to.

"Alright," he began, feeling the sting of defeat.

**~O~**

_**1 hour earlier**_

_Liam sat on his slippery metal seat, f__ully __alert and tracing the rims of a harness that kept him from falling 800 feet to his death. The four of them were crammed into the Kodiak and for once he understood Vega's aversion to the damn things. At least in the Mako you could bail if the road got too rocky. In the Kodiak you were at the mercy of a crazy pilot. But it wasn't Ellie's flying that had them all on the edge. _

_Across from him Casey and Hunter kept stealing glances at the jagged terrain below, as if afraid the pull of gravity would beckon them home any time. The door was left open at the captain's request but while everyone fought to keep their stomach contents, no one dared to ask her to close it. _

_Something changed. He couldn't quite put a finger on it but knew Flores was pissed. Heck even Ellie refrained from her aerial maneuvers and kept the bird steady, as if not to spark an already volatile situation. _

_Liam looked to Hunter for help but the chief only shrugged. Casey tried to avoid looking out below, only to grip the rails tighter when she caught a glimpse. It seemed like Flores was intent on pushing them off one-by-one, the only problem was no one knew what they did to piss off the captain._

_Flores sat casually beside him, right next to the open door, one leg on the seat with the other firmly planted on the ground. She had an arm resting atop her bent knee, while the other twirled an old charm attached to some string. _

_Her helmet shielded prying eyes, but no one bought her relaxed demeanor. For a moment Liam thought it had something to do with the object in her hand, she did chase some poor fireman down for it when he tried to plunder the raggedy thing. But when she flat out ignored his questions, herded her team and left local PD to sort out the rest without so much as standing orders he knew there was more to the story. _

_When the Kodiak touched down Flores was the first one up since she didn't bother with a harness. Casey and Hunter were delicately prying their locks when they were given orders to choke the media and fix the ELRC cannon respectively. After the two officers left them alone, Flores finally took off her helmet just as Liam freed himself from the death grip of his restraints. _

_Helmet in one hand, necklace in the other, Flores reminded him of those 20__th__ century gunslingers. Ready for a fight but unsure of the enemy. _

"_Something I can do, ma'am?" he asked, wishing he had a helmet to hide behind. Her expression suddenly screamed murder and he didn't want to be the latest victim. _

"_You can start by obeying __my orders." She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, blocking his path. He could hear the busy life of the jarheads moving Makos and settling up patrols, the view shielded by her armored body._

_Liam stood casually and clasped the outer collar of his armor with both hands, instinctively bracing himself for another onslaught. "I needed to confirm some things."_

"_Confirm what?" Flores nearly shouted allowing him to see something other than calm for the first time since he joined the Dub, "that your stupidity nearly got you and Vega killed?"_

_There was truth to her words and it cut deep. Liam knew he was responsible for putting Vega under fire, but that's just how the battle played out this time. Besides the is a soldier just like all of them. "They were ready to open fire on civilians. We had to act."_

"_You were supposed to wait for backup," she stated in a way that sounded eerily like Brock._

_Liam chuckled coldly, unable to believe what he was hearing. But her hard eyes told him she was serious._

_Suddenly his suit felt hot, too hot. Liam almost ripped his chest plate open as frustration boiled over. His heart shuddered as if licked by flame. _

"_I did wait!" Liam yelled when the anger finally surfaced. The people in power only seemed to care about orders and their execution, not the civilians they affected. He wanted to believe Flores was different but every attempt to appease this woman was met with scorn, a warning or these ridiculous little confrontations and he was sick of it. Covering the distance between them he got right in her face and met her fury head on. "I waited and people got killed, slaughtered by that maniac and his friends. A little boy lost his life for fuck's sakes. Doesn't that mean anything?" _

_Flores looked momentarily stunned, not by his outburst but at whatever data chose that moment to stream into her omni-tool. _

_Liam couldn't believe it. Here he was pouring out his frustration but her omni-tool was more important._

_His breathing came out harsh and laboured as every muscle in his body quaked with rage. Liam felt his heart struggle to keep up as panic bubbled in his chest. It didn't make any sense. The doctors did a full physical, everything was alright..._

_He took a step back but didn't get far as Flores grabbed his collar and yanked the release. His chest plate came away with a suctioned hiss and clanked to the floor with steam rising out._

_When cold air siphoned into his lungs, Liam felt his body temperature return to normal under Flores' speculative gaze. He couldn't explain what happened but one projection from her omni-tool displayed everything he needed to know. A full schematic of his suit showed temperature regulation malfunctions along the chest plate. _

_Putting a hand out to steady himself, he stared at it in disbelief. The shields were down and didn't protect him from Ontarom's scorching sun while they were out there. He didn't have time to run his armor by the engineers and as such exposed himself to an unnecessary risk. Sure it looked ridiculous now, but at the time he was only thinking of getting to her, of making sure she was okay and now..._

_He didn't say anything for there was nothing to say. She just proved he couldn't take care of his own damn armor and there was nothing he could say in defence. _

"_It's not just your armor," the captain confirmed, "this isn't the first time I've seen your vitals spike—"_

"—_that's not exactly uncommon in our line of work," Liam managed, but her impatient look shut him up. _

"_You need help," she snapped. Liam could feel her eyes on him as he hung his head in defeat. "You clearly weren't treated for PTSD so consider this an order. Get help or get the hell off my ship."_

_It wasn't the first time someone put it to him so bluntly but Liam shook it off and watched her boots retreat out the Kodiak door._

**~O~**

It felt good to tell someone else but it still changed nothing. The standing orders were there and he had a decision to make. Submit to this counseling interview or pack his bags.

"That's quite the ultimatum," Chakwas mused, as she put down her datapad, "but I'm glad you're here. We have an opening with our psychiatrist Lieutenant Dr. Raymond Walsh."

Liam was unmoved. This all sounded like the trivial crap those shrinks fed him after Elysium, always passing him off to the next peer like he was some hot potato in a ring of merry-go-shrink.

"I don't understand," he said, picking at the leather armrest of his chair before looking back to her, "I thought I'd be able to talk to you?"

There it was, that look of pity and concern lined her features as she stopped typing. She looked simultaneously honored and regretful and Liam had his answer. "I'm not qualified to provide psychotherapy," she explained.

"I've already been through this," Liam pleaded, like a gambler on a losing streak. "I had counselors before and they don't get it. Most of them aren't in your shoes seeing the results first-hand everyday."

This time she leaned forward, eyes quivering with apology as she spoke in a reassuring but regretful tone, "Liam I assure you, Lieutenant Walsh is an expert in the field. He's worked with countless soldiers and—"

"I want you."They both grew silent at his confession. Her eyes widened momentarily probably wondering what she did to earn his trust, but he was determined to stick with her. Something about this woman screamed understanding, her kindness permeated every inch of this office and most of all her discretion would let him keep some shred of his career intact. "I don't need every level of officer knowing what I'm going through and it's got nothing to do with pride. Hand in that report and I'll lose everything. You know it," he murmured quietly.

It was pathetic but something Sasha said long ago finally hit home. _One day that uniform will be all you have left..._

It hurt at the time but she was right. The military was the only life he'd ever known, seeing a shrink would put him at risk for a section 8 and he knew in his gut that he was nowhere near that unstable. If he started formal counseling there was no way of knowing where those records could end up and who could use the information to pull his strings. After all, Elysium was the day a war hero emerged. The Alliance wouldn't want contradictions to their official story floating around.

Chakwas still had yet to say a word. Every thought process was on high alert as her eyes swept over him, but she didn't seem interested in the 'best possible story'. She seemed to genuinely care.

When her gaze shifted to the large window overlooking the medbay, Liam felt a pang of guilt. His throat closed and though he wanted to say something the words never came. She had bigger responsibilities than just him, ones he should've seen before bothering her with all his problems.

"I'm sorry," he choked out before rising, "forget I said anything."

Her attentive gaze snapped back to him. "Wait—"

But he was already out the door and striding fast towards the elevator. Many techs jumped from his path, unsure of what to say as Chakwas called after him. The doors closed on her plea. Alone in the tiny box Liam sank to the floor and rubbed a hand through his hair.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Tech-ops Wing— Cerberus Frigate 'Albatross', drifting the outer orbit of the Newton System in stealth mode.**_

"So we risked our lives for garbage?" Dmitri asked, scanning the dissected wreckage that the technicians deemed safe.

"Cleverly concealed garbage, yes," the lead tech expert with a bad haircut replied, switching his nervous gaze to Petrovsky. He looked no older than his daughter, Petrovsky noted. "It appears that she put legitimate fragments of the research data in the main core, then hid the arming matrix beneath so that if anyone attempted to decrypted the whole thing—"

"Boom!" Banes cackled from his seat directly under Miranda's watchful gaze. "See Ivan, your precious agents won't hesitate to kill you."

"Be that as it may, they still have valuable data stored in their greyboxes. Until they're recovered, we can't harm them," Miranda interjected, slamming an icepack into Bane's chest. "Keep pressure on that."

Petrovsky was both ashamed and grateful to share the burden of Banes with someone else. But as much as he wanted to question their disheveled state and Bane's wound, there were more important things at hand.

"What do we do now? We can't go back to the site, salvage crews are already there," Sveta said from her seat atop the table cross-legged as she picked at the tech bits. The young technician beside her had already given up and moved for the med-kit. Switching roles from technologist to medic without instructions to do so, at least he was useful. Thank god the support staff needed little direction.

"We keep looking," Miranda spoke again. Her commanding tone soured the faces of his two operatives but Petrovsky only smiled. "Elena Flores should be our highest priority. Her research—"

"—My research!" Banes barked, as he carefully smeared medi-gel around his charred flesh.

"—on the rachnii," Miranda continued, moving aside as the tech prepped a drill every soldier was familiar with. The bullet extractor was the most painful tool in a med-tech's arsenal, "is key to understanding a phenomenon called indoctrination."

"Indoctrination?" Petrovsky asked, he was sure he heard Elena talk about it before but due to the nature of her work the exact details were sealed even from him. "What is that exactly?"

"I don't know," Miranda said with a slight shake of her head, "but if it's rachnii tech then we need to be ready for any possible retaliation."

"If I had been allowed to wipe them out back then, we wouldn't need anything now—agh!" Banes grimaced as the tech pressed the drill against his skin and extracted a bullet. From its dull head and conductive copper sheath, Petrovsky could see it was only a stun round. The same kind used in training exercises.

"Okay, I have to ask. What happened with you two?" Sveta inquired, watching them intently.

"Nothing that's relevant." Miranda left it at that before turning back to Petrovsky. "I've just been informed that Operative Xiang is at large and we're still looking for Operative York. But we might have a breakthrough with Kassel and Flores, one of my sources confirmed their whereabouts in New Thebes. We can capture them if we act now."

Petrovsky was impressed. This young woman came highly recommended from the Illusive Man himself. Although he was no stranger to up and comers who started out strong and quickly burnt out, Miranda Lawson wasn't displaying any signs of fatigue that came with her new found position._ There might be hope for her yet._

"Do you know anything about this indoctrination weapon, Armistan?" Petrovsky asked, scrutinizing the psychopath.

But nothing in his widening grin betrayed a lie. "I know that if I had it, I wouldn't be here," Banes sneered.

"That's not what I asked," Petrovksy spoke, feeling his patience wane. Banes was just toying with him now.

"My research is a pile of ash and smithereens on Akuze. Flores stole it from me and I'm going to get it back," Banes declared, grabbing a fistful of the tech's shirt and yanked him close. "That hurt like hell. You like playing rough, don't you?"

No sooner had Banes' biotics glowed, that Miranda flared hers in response. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Making sure he did a good job," Banes replied and stood up, hauling the shaking tech high above him with one black-veined hand.

"Put him down, Banes," Petrovsky commanded, successfully hiding the futility in his voice. When that mad man got a hand on a tech there was no stopping him.

Just as predicted, Banes ignored everyone and launched the poor technician into the air. The man screamed, as he sailed over Dima and Sveta, heading face-first towards the steel wall.

Petrovsky watched in horror. At this trajectory the man's neck would snap against the supports, another life would be lost and the ship's crew would surely mutiny now.

The tech's screams died when he suddenly stopped, just inches from the wall. All attention shifted to Miranda, eyes blue, arms extended as she used all her focus to lower him onto the floor.

Petrovsky was no expert on biotics but he knew very few human biotics had the power to levitate mass like that. It seemed to come at a physical expense, as Miranda gripped a nearby table to keep herself steady.

Banes slowly came to her side, clapping with each step. "Well done, Lawson. Well done."

"Are you okay?" Dima asked, pushing him out of the way and reaching for her hand.

But Miranda waved him off and stood on her own. "I'm fine."

"Dmitri, Banes, prepare for our departure to New Thebes," Petrovsky ordered, before turning to Svetlana who was crouched by the tech, "get him to the medbay."

As Dima and Sveta got to work, Banes donned another Cerberus branded shirt while Miranda shook off any sign of earlier weakness. "I'm going to confirm mission parameters with my contact," Miranda announced.

She started to walk past him but Petrovksy spoke, "A moment, please Ms. Lawson." He shot Banesa look when the sandy blonde head popped through the collar of his new shirt. "Alone."

Banes grinned, winked to Miranda and left.

"His wound?" Petrovsky inquired as soon as the doors closed. As much as he wanted to turn a blind eye, Banes was still a part of his crew. Not to mention the Illusive Man made it very clear that his most prized mad scientist should remain in one piece.

"Training exercise," she explained, only to elaborate when he didn't buy what she was selling. "I got...a bit carried away. It won't happen again."

"Not a day goes by without someone trying to kill him." Petrovsky huffed back a laugh before considering the serious matters at hand. "But I find it difficult to believe he knows nothing about this indoctrination weapon after studying it for years."

"I understand your concern, Lieutenant-General," Miranda said as she sauntered over to dissected tech bits and snagged a piece of ancient circuitry. "Rest assured I'll keep an eye on him."

She crushed it with biotics and let the powdered plastic rain over the rest. Petrovsky allowed the corner of his mouth to curl into a smile. This woman was starting to take after Banes in theatrics, but unlike her crazy cohort he trusted her self-control.

"You have no idea how much that pleases me," Petrovsky admitted, clasping his hands behind his back and surveying her carefully. Despite the obvious fatigue her earlier manoeuvre demanded, she stubbornly refused to show any weakness. He smiled, his daughter was the same way. "Are you alright?"

"Just fine. You wanted to discuss something?" Though her voice was calm, he heard the undertone of impatience carefully hidden beneath a cool mask. As much as he wanted to test this young woman and see what she was made of, Petrovsky knew this was the time to be candid and let his own mask fall.

"As a matter of fact I do...it's about Shepard." He took a deep breath, it was now or never. "I'm sure you—"

"I know." Miranda moved to face him, her face betraying nothing. "I've read your dossier."

"Then you know that I'm going to ask that no harm comes to him," Petrovsky said, looking to push past the fact that she had just admitted to looking at classified information. Not that he was surprised, she was a spy after all. Though maybe this confession was her way of showing trust, he couldn't be sure.

"Of course." A ghost of a smile flickered across her visage as she regarded him evenly. "My goal is to secure those greyboxes. Nothing more."

"Wonderful." Petrovksy plastered on his best smile. Their masks slid back into place and there was nothing more to be said. "Carry-on," he dismissed.

As Miranda walked away a sense of dread overcame him. The spark of loyalty in her eyes meant one thing; she wouldn't let this mission fail. That translated to certain death for anyone who got in her way. Petrovsky only hoped he didn't have to choose between work and family on this battlefield.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Rooftop/Snipers training post—SSV Dublin—Ontarom **_

The flat roof of the Dub was a great elevation point for sniper practice runs. From the makeshift crow's nest atop the mast, snipers had the best vantage point for all stationary targets surrounding the grounded ship. Below was the instructor's area complete with binoculars and mesh directly on the Dublin's roof which served to make sure no one burned their ass on the ship's steel frame. Something Liam was thankful for as he sat cross legged and peered through his binoculars.

The stuffed dummy they set up 600 yards away swayed with the wind, indicating a conditional change that Liam checked on his Omni-tool. Crosswind at 5 knots, 192° southwest required a correction of 8° on the scope. Powerful VI's on the more advanced sniper rifles made this correction automatically, but on entry level models like the Mantis it was almost always better to trust your Omni-tool data and calibrate manually. At least that's what Liam thought he explained to Hunter, but as the chief lost another bullet to the wind Liam sighed and shook his head.

Hunter had potential there was no doubt about it. He mastered the indoor range and was now rated to hit a target from 600 yards, quite a feat considering he couldn't hit paper from 100 when they started. But what Liam spent countless hours teaching him indoors was suddenly lost on the kid when they hit the makeshift open range.

As Hunter finally clued into his mistake and started tweaking his scope, Liam put his hands behind his head and stretched out to look at the sky. The safety mesh met his back, yet he could still feel the heat permeating from beneath.

The sky was finally blue. No more overcast or night instead of morning, just clear blue with cumulus clouds in the distance. It was much better compared to the artificial sky of the citadel.

Eight year old Michael loved the Citadel sky. It meant the world to him and he always tried to draw the shape of the clouds but came up with funny little squiggles that made Sasha laugh. But the little guy didn't know clouds were fake back then. _What does he think of them now?_

Liam smiled, as the memories washed over him. He missed those afternoons. It was bad enough that he was torn from his family, but they hadn't returned a single call either. He checked the omni-tool for messages. None were displayed.

So his thoughts spiraled back to Flores and her ultimatum. On one hand he could pack up and run to the Citadel before the Alliance dragged his ass back to X-19. Just seeing that kid's face again would be worth the pain of returning to crap work.

His fist clenched as he watched his protégé put theory to practice up top and finally grazed the target. Or maybe...no, he didn't need to bother Karin. It was stupid to go there in the first place, not everyone appreciated a reprimand on their record.

"There you are," Vega's familiar voice boomed overhead. The platform vibrated with each pound from his boots.

Liam rose to a sitting position and watched him approach. There was still a slight limp to his step and a heavy bandage snared his arm but otherwise the man looked ready for action. "James, saved you a seat."

"Yeah?" Vega asked, squatting to sit beside him. The arms master looked uncomfortable this high up, and if Liam had to guess this was probably his first time on the Dub's roof. "What's playing?"

"Greatest hits," Liam replied, raising a hand to crow's nest above them, "I give you my protégé."

The distinct crack of a Mantis echoed through the air. Liam peered through the binoculars around his neck, only to find that nothing hit the stationary dummy downrange. The dust cleared, revealing nothing but the creak of metal from Firebase Dagger just a few feet away.

Vega snatched the binoculars and saw the same underwhelming conclusion. "Protégé huh? Looks like he's still got a long way to go."

"Tell me about it," Liam groaned, and plopped back onto the mat with a smile. "But you know what? When we first came here the kid couldn't hold a gun. I believe in him."

"Ever thought there might be a reason for that?" Vega asked, over his shoulder.

Liam frowned. Aside from the captain who seemed to have a problem with everybody doing anything these days, no one else voiced concerns about Hunter's training. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Vega snorted as his look turned dismissive. "Sorry Loco. I share this stuff with Alliance personnel aboard the SSV Dublin only."

Liam quirked a brow. "That fast huh?"

"What did you think you could just leave without anyone noticing?" Vega pressed, but Liam caught the quick look of betrayal in his eyes. "Fat chance Loco."

"I'm not leaving...not right away at least," Liam tried to assure, all the while wondering who could've ratted him out.

"Ellie says you have to decide between a shrink and packing your bags," Vega said, slipping a hand beneath his oil streaked white shirt and scratching his back. "I don't see a shrink so that means..."

Great. With Ellie running her mouth it would only be a matter of time before the whole ship got on his case. "I can't see a shrink James."

"Can't or won't?" Vega bristled, turning around to fully face him.

"Pick one!" Liam replied, tired of everyone trying their best to piss him off today. "At this point I don't really care."

"Well I sure as hell do! I didn't follow you into that mosh-pit, got my ass shot up and broke an expensive prototype just so you could turn your back and leave me with the rest of it," Vega yelled, only to look away.

Liam sucked down a smile. They were acting like some old married couple, but he chose to keep that observation to himself. Instead he sat up and balanced himself on one arm. "Look I already told you no shrinks," Liam explained in a much calmer tone, "they don't understand."

"As far as I understand they don't have to," Vega shot back, minus the earlier venom in his words. Now he just looked determined. "What you need to do is figure your shit out, Loco. How long have you been this way?"

"Oh I don't know...probably as long as you've been avoiding the medical augmentation," Liam replied, not ready to be counseled by 'Doctor James Vega'.

Vega's eyes grew wide. That was the nature of these medical reports, they were always open to someone higher up and Vega was living proof of that.

"Whoa, wait a sec. Those were confidential," James threw hands up and looked to him quizzically. "Why'd you even bother?"

"You were breathing like a chainsaw back there," Liam stated matter-of-factly, thankful for the change of topic. "You have asthma but you refused to disclose it, James. A simple procedure could fix that for—"

But Vega was having none of that. "Hold up. This ain't about me, Shepard. I can deal with my condition," he said jabbing a finger into his chest. "You, you're falling apart. How long before you shoot someone with that pistol of yours?"

"Already have. You were there," Liam replied smoothly as he plopped back down.

"I'm serious, Loco. See the shrink," James said before adding, "Chakwas was looking everywhere for you."

He didn't want to think about what happened only hours earlier. "She's a doctor not a shrink. She can't help me James."

"Bullshit. The crew likes and trusts her and she's out there looking for you. If you can't do this shrink thing then at least ask for some meds," Vega chided.

"I'm not taking drugs," he replied, getting tired of explaining himself. "Look, Vega I appreciate this intervention I do. But this is the end of the line."

"Listen to yourself. You're a war hero, an inspiration to half the jarheads around here, a shining beacon to everyone on Earth and the best the Alliance has to offer. Don't throw it all away because of this," Vega practically pleaded.

Of course it was no surprise that James chose that moment to deliver a speech that would give his little brother a run for his money. Liam chewed on that for moment, struck by how much one person could believe in him but ultimately done listening.

Sticking a hand in the air, Liam pointed to the little spec above them that represented Hunter. Hundreds of meters up above all by himself in that crows nest. "I'm going to make sure that kid lives up to his dream," Liam said with finality. "Then I'm gone. Sorry, partner.

He hated that look of pity James had as they stayed silent and let the howl of wind wash over them. James stood to go and said something but the howl of wind drowned him out.

"I missed that. Say again?" Liam asked.

"I said, he shot the previous arms master," Vega hollered, above the dust storm. When it dissipated Vega's gaze was pure iron. "That's why I was brought along. Figures huh? Guess I should watch my back. Not like anyone here is going to."

As James limped away, Liam sat in horrified silence, watching his protégé put theory to practice.

**o~O~o**

_**Location: Undisclosed safe house—New Thebes, Anhur.**_

"I can't track down Jin Xiang. But thanks to the email chatter comin' from the Ontarom facility, she killed her tail and skipped town in a hurry," Gus reported.

The small hint of an Aussie accent perked her ears, but Elena didn't react, instead opting to file the information in favor of figuring out where her people were. When he formally allowed her into his 'lair' she was amazed with all the tech at his disposal. Unlike the proper and ordered state of the house, the basement functioned like some cyberpunk hacker paradise. Thick cables and wires sprawled across the floor. What had to be thousands of data-pads were scattered on desks that did double duty holding more than their fair share of screens.

Twenty displays made a giant screen that ate an entire wall, each projecting random information that Elena couldn't make heads or tails from. News reports, file dumps, real-time wiretaps and surveillance. If she didn't know any better she would've guessed this guy was the Shadow Broker himself.

But she did know better. And now she was lost in the sea of screens, trusting a stranger to reassure her that everything was on-track.

"You're sure she's there?" Elena asked, above the sound of running water overhead. For such a modern house it had crappy insulation so they were aware of Mark showering upstairs.

Gus, probably annoyed that she was hovering over his shoulder, tapped a few keys and brought a live feed on four main screens. The projected image showed Selina York, bound and blindfolded but otherwise unharmed in an undisclosed location.

Elena relaxed and let her hands pat over his shoulders. "Thank you," she praised, before flopping onto the comfortable leather chair beside him.

"My pleasure," he returned, with the twinkle of a smile behind his black rimmed glasses.

In another life he could've passed for Mark's brother. Same jet black hair minus the rolled out of bed look, his eyes were a paler blue and the light freckles lining his cheeks didn't quite fit the entire picture of a recluse operator/hacker extraordinaire. He was just too well put together for someone involved in this business.

When he got back to coordinating her mission assets, Elena didn't know if she should stay or go. Sure there was a whole empty house upstairs, but she wasn't about to go snooping through his stuff, regardless of how much her internal alarm screamed for her to do just that. Truth was, she was tired of espionage. This fucked up dance of not trusting anyone was draining...but at the same time it's why she was alive today.

The image of Jeremy flashed on one of the news screens and Elena instantly diverted her gaze. It would be months before the media forgot Jeremy, but he would haunt her dreams for a lifetime, she had no delusions about that.

"You two were close?" Gus asked, without looking up. His face scrunched in concentration as he focused on hitting the right keys as if the wrong one would blow up the world.

"He was a good friend," Elena mumbled to herself.

This time Gus stopped and turned back to her. "A lot older than you though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elena bristled. Savior or not, this bastard wasn't going to ruin her friend's reputation by barking up the wrong tree.

"Forgive me," Gus raised his hands in surrender as that smile returned. "I just don't understand how you managed to outrank him is all. Impressive if you ask me, given his experience and... experiments."

_Well no one asked you._ His intrusive remark brought some disturbing memories to her mind's eye. Back then she also wondered why Jeremy wasn't the head of Tier 6, but when he showed her the answer she sure as shit wished she had never found out. At the same time she learned the full extent of the Illusive Man's forgiveness. It was both comforting and unsettling at the same time. If Jeremy hadn't been such a good friend she would've considered turning his ass over to the Alliance MP's herself.

"How do you know Mark?" Elena asked, wanting a change of topic but also because she needed to figure this guy out before she trusted him.

Gus resumed typing. "A long time ago, a mission in Athens was hijacked. Jeremy and Mark were left stranded behind enemy territory with valuable intel in their possession. When they got through to me, I was able to procure their safe passage out of the city. Mark has been a friend to me ever since."

"Ah, so you were their guardian angel. I'm impressed," Elena remarked, pushing some data pads aside with her feet as she reclined. "that was some feat, getting a chopper down there."

Gus only shrugged off her compliment. "Someone had to do it. I was just the right man for the job."

Elena remembered every detail of that mission thanks to pouring over all Tier 6 reports prior to meeting her team. At the time she just wanted to get a sense of the people she would soon be leading. But something about those mission reports never really gelled. The deployments were predominantly Earth-based, which was strange considering how their wing operated in space. Even back then she had the sinking suspicion that someone in space was getting nosy, but with the secretive nature of the Alliance-branded Cerberus at the time, it was impossible to blow whistles without proof.

The monitor with Selina's footage pinged back her location. Elena's eyes whipped to the screen as Gus' typing intensified. "What's happening?"

"She's just been located," Gus relayed, "two kilometers north of here. A warehouse district under batarian state control."

Elena rose with some disdain. Heart drumming in her chest, she clasped her hands behind her back and paced. Something she saw Petrovsky do countless times had finally rubbed off on her.

Gus looked to her questioningly. "I suppose you'll be heading there soon?"

"You bet," Elena punctuated with a nod as she stared at the screen bank. "How does it look?"

His fingernails drummed against the metallic desk, as he waited her out. "Warehouse is unsecured. Likely just a stash point for the batarian gang responsible for the sale."

"Yeah," Elena said wistfully, brushing a spec of dust from her black leather jacket, "must be."

As Gus arranged ground transport and air support, Elena stood to the side, only moving away when he was done. "Alright, I've got you an artillery mounted vehicle. It should get you close enough to the warehouse perimeter and leaves as soon as you do. Questions?"

"Just one," Elena said, as she smoothly drew her Harpy pistol and trained it on his head. "Why did you betray us?"


	21. Chapter 21

_**Location: Personal Quarters of Commander Liam Shepard —SSV Dublin deck 5— Ontarom **_

Five freshly starched uniform shirts and three pairs of dress pants joined a stack of data-pads already in his bag. Liam looked around for anything he'd missed but the place was bare. It suddenly dawned on him just how impersonal his room really was.

The stainless steel walls didn't carry any marks of his existence, neither did the perfect grey slab they called a desk. The room that was once inviting suddenly seemed cold and empty, ready to dazzle some other officer in his place.

Plunking down on the bed beside his single suitcase, Shepard raised his omni-tool and tried Michael again. The kid hadn't answered any of his fifteen calls and Liam was beginning to worry.

Selecting his number, he was about to press down on the key when the omni-tool announced an incoming call. At the sight of the caller ID his heart relaxed and he answered with an elated smile, only to let it drop when Sasha's sleepy eyes met his.

Even in the middle of the night she looked breathtaking, her raven hair fell in ringlets and something about her tousled strands of hair made Sasha radiate.

His mind was struck with an onslaught of memories. Mainly the morning ones where she laughed in his arms whenever he nuzzled the back of her neck before he had time to shave, or when she shrieked in delight every time toddler Mikey jumped aboard with the breakfast song.

"Don't even think about leaving another message," she croaked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as he tried to compose himself.

"Hey you," he whispered, trying to keep his voice low by way of apology, "sorry I didn't realize it was that late."

"It's ten in the morning," she mumbled, raising her arms high above her head as she stretched sensuously. The blankets dipped below her breasts to reveal a lacey nightshirt, but she caught it before it slipped away completely. "What's the fire?"

Liam gulped as his brain came back online. "Where's Michael? I thought I phoned his omni-tool?"

"It is. I had to pry the damn thing away from him before they left..." she trailed off. Her eyes narrowed as she suddenly caught herself. "Oh no you don't."

"Don't what? I just want to talk to my son," Liam replied, not in the mood for another one of her mind games. Sasha had a suspicious nature about the stupidest things. One time when he brought her flowers she spent an entire afternoon interrogating him on their meaning, as if a man couldn't just treat his woman once in a while. Suspicion was probably another thing she inherited from her father, but Liam valued his life too much to say that out loud.

"I know that look, Liam," she accused, pointing a finger at him as if he just caught him with his pants down. Her green eyes flashed with malevolence. "You're unbelievable. What is it you think Michael can say that will make it all go away?"

Now he was completely lost. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I can see it on your face clear as day," she seethed. "Something bad happens and you're the world's most attentive dad for a month, two tops. Then it's mission-as-usual until the next event breaks you."

In his life Liam had been, shot, stabbed, nearly blown to bits and operated on without anesthetic; but her words right now hurt more.

"Sash..." he stammered, unable to form a coherent thought let alone a sentence. _Is that what I've been leaving her to deal with? No wonder she dumped my ass._

Something in her voice softened and suddenly the anger died as she took a deep breath. "Don't you see what it does to him? You can't just pop into his life, be his hero and then leave."

"I'm..." Liam didn't know what to say. A part of him wanted to argue, to prove her wrong and do anything necessary to reassure her that this was not true. But he was still reeling from her confession. Sasha was no stranger to letting her thoughts and feelings be heard, yet there was something off about her confession and his brain wouldn't let it go.

"I know you're trying to protect him. I get it." A single tear started streaming down her face and she swiped at it furiously. He wanted to reach over and wipe it. Seeing her cry wrecked him inside but his internal alarm rang loud. She was never _this_ emotional. _What the hell is going on?_ "But I'm always left to pick up the pieces. Why didn't you just tell us what you were running from?"

"Hey," he started, finding his voice again, "Sasha is everything okay?"

"This isn't about me, Liam," she stammered, sniffling lightly. "Just leave him alone."

"He's my son. I have a right to see him and I'm going to," he replied, abandoning all earlier desire to stay calm. "So you can either tell me where he is or I'll turn this entire galaxy to ash looking for him."

She nodded in defeat. "He's on Elysium. Dillon thought it'd be a good idea to take him camping for a while."

Feeling raw and just about ready to bend steel, Shepard sighed and counted backwards to ten exactly like the stupid pamphlet on PTSD trigger symptoms suggested. To this date it was the only useful suggestion that actually worked.

Of all the places to visit, Liam hoped Michael would never set foot on Elysium. That charred battlefield, those kids, the batarians...the bodies. He didn't want any member of his family to see that let alone his own son.

"And you let him go?" Liam said evenly, clamping down on his temper.

Sasha shook her head in disbelief. "That's not fair. He had every right to go there and you know it."

"He has no fucking idea of what happened there!" Liam nearly shouted.

"And whose fault is that?" She spat back through clenched teeth. "God—I don't need this. Just leave us alone."

"I'm going over there," Liam announced, making a show of drawing his Paladin. "Next time Dillon wants to take my son to a battlefield—"

Sasha only shook her head dismissively and cut the connection.

"—I'll kill him," Liam finished, eyes burning as he watched the static. The Paladin tumbled from his grip and plopped onto the mattress. Shepard leaned forward and buried his face in both hands.

And there it was in a nutshell, the darkness of his palms told him exactly why he wasn't with Sasha anymore. At some point he nearly convinced himself that they were just taking a break, things would get better, but they never did. These arguments and their variations were constant. She was furious every time he was shipped out on special ops at a moment's notice. Always fumed when he came home and it took about three days of sweetness to finally get her to accept him again after a long engagement. But as the missions got longer so did the time for her acceptance and naturally things waned between them, replaced with constant bickering and lack of real communication. For years he blamed himself for her anger, but now, maybe it was age or just plain acceptance but hearing her out like this struck a chord he felt was long ignored in his life.

A knock on his door drew his attention. "Come in," he said, looking up but not moving from his bed. Wearing a hoodie and jeans wasn't the most refined way to impress someone but he didn't give a shit.

Instead, he opted to watch a familiar brunette peek from around the corner and battle her nerves as she gave a clean salute. "Commander Shepard...Sir," Traynor stammered not sure if she should wait for his salute or continue. "I've been asked to find you."

"Have you been told why?" Shepard asked calmly, doing a wonderful job of hiding his bewilderment. Techs from the Ontarom base kept their distance from the Dub. Another sign of bad blood between Brock and everyone else.

"Oh..." Now it was her turn to look abashed as she clamped her hands behind her at ease. "I thought you'd been briefed?"

"Briefed on what exactly?" Shepard said, regretting the tone of his voice when Traynor flinched.

Deciding to get it over with and run for the hills, Traynor took a deep breath. "Captain Flores has asked me to come aboard."

"That's great news, congratulations, Sam," Liam replied, actually meaning it. At least someone had good news around here, he stood and strode over with a smile. "I guess this means you're officially free from Brock."

"I suppose so..." she fidgeted, in a way that endeared him. "She...also mentioned something about taking over your duties...in regards to the tech archive that was recovered."

Several things came to him at once. First on the list was Vega's mention of the archives they retrieved, second was the fact that he totally forgot all about them!

**o~O~o**

Shepard barged onto the CIC, ignoring everyone's sudden halt. If they had a problem with his casual attire they wisely kept quiet. Casey and Glen quickly left their monitors and intercepted his path.

"Shepard!" Casey squealed, and clamped her hands together then rounded on Glen. "See? I told you he's not going anywhere."

"That ain't what I'm hearing." Glen crossed his arms and waited for answers. "What gives, Shep? You leaving just cause' Blitz and I didn't see a biotic bomb?"

Liam shrugged, he had enough enemies and didn't want another fight. "We both saw our versions of what happened. No need to split hairs."

"Shepard we've been biotics for a long time. What you're saying just ain't possible, it's nothing personal," Glen tried to appease, totally misreading the situation. Liam only had eyes for the Captain and like always she was nowhere to be found.

"I never said it was," Liam replied, pushing past them. "Excuse me."

Making a beeline for the bridge, he barely got out in time as Flores stormed out with Preston hot on her heels. The Thunder assault rifle in her hands could punch a hole through a tank and everyone knew it. A few junior NCOs saluted but wisely kept clear.

"I'm not saying we sit on it. I just think we need to do some proper verification before we jump into this mess," Preston reasoned, matching her pace.

She didn't even look at him as she strode past. Glen and Casey watched the scene unfold but didn't say anything as Liam rushed after the duo. It was Preston who finally cut Flores off by planting himself between her and the elevator.

"I appreciate your concern but I don't have time for it now," Flores said in a sharp low voice while inspecting her weapon.

"I'd like to go with you," Preston stated, ignoring Liam as he hovered around them. Flores looked to him as if he were a favorite pet.

"I already have a squad," she replied, as the doors pinged open. Preston moved to follow but her hand on his chest stopped him in his tracks. "Besides, you have command of the deck. So stay put."

"Ma'am..." But protest died on his lips as a shared look of understanding passed between officer and first mate. Liam sensed a bond that went deeper than any battlefield and it hit him harder than he thought it should.

Liam took his chance and slipped in just as the doors closed between Flores and Preston.

As the lift descended, Flores thumbed the rifle's cooling chambers, looking at them from every possible angle.

The atmosphere was tense. Even though he had a million questions all of them were gobbled up with the thoughts racing his racing mind. He technically still had a decision to make.

"If you plan on going AWOL don't be here when I get back," Flores suddenly spoke, calmly collapsing her rifle and clamping it to the magnetic holder at the back of her armor.

Shepard barely held back a snort at her straightforwardness but decided to play it easy. "First Vega and now Traynor? You don't want me to leave. I'm flattered."

"I don't give a shit either way," she replied as she donned her helmet, muffing her voice near the end.

If there was ever a greater opening to leave, it was now. But if he was honest with himself, it was never much of a realistic possibility. As much as he wanted to see his son, he knew he overreacted earlier.

"I'm going with you," Liam declared, giving her a sideways glance. But that damn tinted visor shielded her reaction.

"You don't even know where I'm going," her voice boomed through the external speakers.

"Doesn't matter." Liam shook his head and hit the emergency stop button before they could descend to the hangar floor. "It's clearly something to do with Elena. Otherwise you wouldn't be breaking protocol by abandoning your ship in a non-wartime situation."

She didn't say anything but she didn't really have to. He could tell by her slightly rapid breaths he was right on the money; and dad didn't raise him to just sit there and watch while pretty women got their hands dirty.

"And your condition?"

"I'll be seeing Doctor Chakwas. It's all been taken care of," he lied, hoping some deity up there had his back today. It was stupid but at this point he was ready to do anything to ensure she didn't lone wolf this mission.

With one hand on the emergency stop button, Liam didn't move. Something about being this close to her drew him in. He could feel a sense of reciprocity in the way she spoke, "Shepard?"

"Yes?"

"We need to go." Like a bucket of cold water the moment shattered and he wanted to kick himself for being so stupid. She was clearly in the middle of something important and here he was wasting time admiring her.

"Right." He let go of the emergency stop button and the lift continued its descent. "Where to?"

"New Thebes, Anhur." She straightened up and brushed the hilt of the pistol holstered at her side. "Get your gear and make sure you linkup with Traynor. I want you to crack that data archive remotely so that we're not introducing some virus into the system."

"Yes, Captain." He wanted to point out that the data structure they discovered didn't have to be connected to the ship's computers in order to be cracked. But it was pretty clear she just wanted to keep things off record which was fine by him.

The lift ground to a halt and the doors opened to the busy hangar bay. "And Liam?"

"Ma'am?"

"From here on in we're doing spec ops. So it's Flores if you want to be formal," she said and took her first step into the hangar. "Dana if you don't."

He swore he could sense her smile beneath that visor as she walked away. Maybe just this once, the peace would last.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Location: UT-47 Kodiak Drop Shuttle—En-route to Anhur, New Thebes. **_

The drop ship buffeted violently as Ellie Donnelly broke through Ontarom's atmosphere and accelerated into FTL. Everyone clung to the nearest hand hold or harness, only to be knocked back when they recovered straight and level flight.

Glen Gordon clutched his shiny bald head, massing the spot where it hit the bulkhead. Liam could see barely contained anger in his eyes but it had nothing to do with the injury. Hours ago, Captain Flores pulled them into a classified meeting and gave them the smallest of details regarding this mission. Naturally they pried and pried some more, until she couldn't take it and snapped at them. Now with her team at arm's' length the atmosphere aboard the Kodiak was tense.

Vega was shifting uncomfortably between Gordon and an equally brooding Casey. "What do you think, Loco? They seem pretty pissed," Vega said through their private channel.

Liam switched off his external speakers. "Pissed or not we have a job to do," he replied, trying his best to take the captain's side without taking her side. **"**How do you feel about it?"

James shrugged but made it look casual under Casey and Gordon's combined glare. "I don't know. I haven't been here long enough to demand full disclosure, know what I mean?" Vega sighed through his speakers. "Still, I'd take it personally if my own CO couldn't feel like she could trust me."

Liam wanted to protest but knew Vega was right in some respects. Team loyalty didn't hinge on full disclosure, but trust. As far as he could see, this team's trust extended years back, maybe they got complacent in thinking Dana would be open with them on everything, but the harsh reality was that she was Captain and there would always be some things she had to keep to herself. Like the fact that her sister was now the fugitive they were heading out to apprehend. He didn't want to think of what that confrontation would look like. If it were Fi or John in a similar situation...he couldn't imagine trusting anyone else to help him.

He glanced to Flores who was up front with Ellie coordinating the other three Kodiaks flanking them. This might just be the fight of her life and something told him she already knew it.

"Hey." Liam turned to Vega who was still using private comms to communicate. "I'm just glad you're here, Loco," James said. "At least we can depend on your good luck."

Liam chortled at that. If they were down to depending on his rotten luck then things would be rocky indeed.

o~O~o

_**Location: Classified safehouse—Anhur, New Thebes. **_

Mark's bare footsteps slapped against the creaking wood as he made his way to the basement.

The towel over his head muffled his voice. "I swear man a hot shower is the best cure for..." he trailed off as Elena looked him over.

He looked very earth-like in a simple charcoal waffle-knit shirt and jeans. At least someone was getting some comfort out of this fucked up situation.

Mark froze as his eyes took in the scene before him. She couldn't tell if it was disbelief or confusion lining his dark features. But none of that mattered now. No, it was time for the truth because bullshit has left the building.

"Elena?" Mark asked, as if wondering if any of this was happening.

"Have a seat," Elena offered, gesturing with her gun towards a cheap plastic seat she dug out specifically for him. It was positioned directly across from his pal Gus' cuffed and gagged form. Elena sat on the desk that doubled as Gus' workstation and kept a leg on his chair. "Gus and I were just catching up."

Mark glanced to his friend then back to her, still no change. That look of shock remained in his gaze, making it difficult to gage his involvement. "What's going on? Did he try to hurt you?"

Elena laughed bitterly. "Hurt me? We're friends right, Gussy?" She teased, grasping the hacker's hair and jerking his head back violently. "I need you to grab a seat, Mark, because Gus tells one hell of a great story."

"Did you...did you torture him?" Mark stammered, glued to the spot.

Elena shoved his head away and trained her gun on Mark. "Did I fucking stutter? Get in the chair."

"El, let's talk ab—"

The round zipped past his ear, drawing blood with its graze. Elena's aim held steady as she waited for him to choose.

When Mark complied and promptly sat in the chair his eyes widened in horror at Gus' grievous state. She let him seek out the bruises and watch the rivulets of blood leave the hacker from a the head wound where she clocked him. Biotics made suchexcellent punching gloves that Elena couldn't resist using them to subdue the stubborn bastard.

As Mark shifted uncomfortably in his chair, she flexed the fingers of her free hand. Through the will of her mind, two pairs of cuffs flew at Mark and hit him square in the chest.

He grunted at the force and held them in his hands.

"Put those on," Elena ordered. "We want you to be comfortable for this."

Mark used those puppy dog blue eyes on her, trying to get her to see reason. "El..."

"Don't." She trained her gun on him again. Elena wanted to cry but she swallowed all the hurt and betrayal. How could she have been so stupid, so trusting? "Don't call me that and just do what I fucking say or I'll blow your brains out right here, right now."

She watched carefully as he clasped one cuff around the chair's arm then fixed it over his right arm. Using biotics, Elena snared his other arm and clicked the cuffs shut.

When both men were secure she spun Gus' chair, eliciting a painful moan from the traitor within. Mark seemed to steel himself and watched her with intent, there was something calling to her behind those blue eyes but he kept his mouth shut to her chagrin. _What, no defense?_

"Who the fuck is he?" Elena asked, staring Mark down.

Mark only shook his head, but didn't say anything. The regret in his eyes didn't help matters either. Something in those bright blues begged her to forgive him, but maybe that was just a trick of the light.

Deciding she's had enough of silence Elena pressed the muzzle of the Harpy against Gus' elbow. The groggy hacker started failing when he realized what she wanted to take away.

"I'm only going to ask one more time, Mark. Who the fuck is he?" she demanded, mashing the muzzle into the crux of his elbow.

Mark sighed heavily. "Back in Athens—"

Elena fired and Gus screamed in pain as blood and bone splattered the area around what used to be his elbow. "Don't you fucking lie to me. This piece of trash isn't your Athens connection. You and Jeremy got out of there thanks to a local connection Gustus Stone, this guy is Australian not Greek. He got you out by hacking the monorail and making it skip a stop. There was no fucking helicopter!" Elena grabbed at Gus' collar and yanked him close while speaking to her lover. "You brought me here, Mark. Who is he working for? Who are you working for?"

"Elena, please just listen." Mark sighed inwardly and shot an apologetic glance at Gus. "Back in Athens there was an Alliance post that was already hunting down Cerberus personnel. We were apprehended and spent two days in interrogation."

Elena forced herself to control her emotions. This couldn't be the truth, why was he telling her this now? What did it change? But most of all she tried to push away the horrible image of someone torturing him for two days. Slapping that aside she set the gun's muzzle on Gus' other elbow. "Stop wasting my time. Even if what you're saying is true, why would they just let you go? And why is this idiot transmitting our location to Cerberus..."

It suddenly clicked in her head. Now she understood his guilt, everything suddenly made sense. _Oh god. He was still loyal to them. _

"When Gus helped us run away, we had to ensure we didn't blow his cover. So we made up a connection called Gustus Stone, Mark explained.

Elena shook her head, not because she had been wrong about Gus but because she missed what was right in front of her. Mark was somehow still connected to Cerberus and she didn't see it. "Jesus Christ, Mark, don't you see what Cerberus did? How can you support them after everything...everything we've done?"

Mark shook his head defiantly. "Do you honestly think the Alliance is any better? We were on an Alliance paycheque when we decided to play god of war, when Jeremy was given free reign of that group of kids, when you were allowed to mess with the rachni**, **all of that was funded by the Alliance."

"I'm trying to fix this!" Elena yelled, feeling the rage ignite her blood.

"How?" Mark challenged, tilting his head to look at her in disbelief. "Cerberus was already off the rails under Alliance command. Everything they condemned other species for doing was being researched right here with our help, El. Look at me and don't deny it!"

Elena fought back tears and won. "So what was your big plan? Knock me out and steal the data? Is that what you were after? Take the rachni research that's claimed so many lives and what, give it a black ops unit gone rogue?"

"El," Mark pleaded as he hopelessly slumped back against his seat, "don't you see? I don't give a shit about any of this. Cerberus is no better than the Alliance and vice-versa, but Cerberus was willing to pay more to get the Hammerhead back."

"You sold a weapon of destruction to a megalomaniac?" She said, incredulous. "Someone you haven't even met?"

"I don't care." His eyes pleaded for her to understand. "I know what you want, babe. I know you want kids, a family, a life where you can actually live without looking over your shoulder every five minutes. I want that too and I want it with you."

She wasn't stunned, she was so far past stunned that they needed to invent another word to describe it. Elena swallowed hard and tried to make heads or tails out of everything he just confessed. She wanted to scream, laugh and cry like a maniac, but she couldn't. Years ago she swore to herself that the people of the galaxy came first. They still did.

She let go of Gus and kept her gaze lowered, away from those bright blues that were her world.

"Cerberus will be here any minute thanks to your pal." She tapped a few keys on the computer. "I've re-routed an Alliance ship to help Selina York."

Mark scoffed. "So you're allowed to use the Alliance for help but I can't deal with Cerberus?"

"I actually trust this contact," Elena clarified, "She'll get her to safety, I know it."

"What about you?" Mark asked, testing the strength of the cuffs.

Elena snagged her bag and grasped both armrests of Mark's chair. She leaned towards him until they were only inches apart, separated by breaths. "Don't worry about me anymore."

With that she was out the door, leaving both men to their fates.

o~O~o

_**Location: Batarian state controlled warehouse—Anhur, New Thebes. **_

Under the cover of darkness, four Alliance-branded Kodiaks touched down and deposited their squads.

Dana took point with Liam right behind her as Vega, Casey and Glen brought up the rear. They hunkered down a couple of yards from the warehouse entrance and waited for the other three teams to check in.

"_Fireteam Foxtrot in position ma'am,"_ the hushed voice of a veteran sergeant relayed through the team chat. _"We have_ _eyes on two armed batarian patrols at the rear gate. One anti-air on the roof."_

"_Fireteam Bravo, in position ma'am."_ The feminine voice of sergeant Colvin spoke confidently through the comm. _"We have three batarian patrols on the West wing. They're huddled together, slacking off."_

"_Fireteam Omega, in position ma'am." _Hunter spoke through the comms. Liam was surprised she let the kid out of her sights. _"We have one batarian patrol in heavy armor on the East Wing. And a squad of four turians surrounding an armored Scout vehicle is heading up front."_

"_Great. Fireteam Indigo will take point. As soon as your patrols are distracted I want you all to strike simultaneously. We do this quietly"_

"_Uh, ma'am," _Fireteam Foxtrot's sergeant spoke up, _"just to confirm, you want us to attack batarian state troops?"_

Before Dana had a chance to reply Glen got on the comm. _"Foster, I never want to hear you question the Captain in the middle of a goddam mission."_

"_It's alright," _Dana pacified, shooting Glen a 'cool it' look. _"You've all read the brief, they have a classified Alliance asset in there. That's why we do this quietly. If it still weighs on your conscience just remember they're the ones who didn't sign up with the Citadel."_

"_Roger that, ma'am." _All three team leads acknowledged and waited for her team to strike.

Flores turned to him and gestured up front. "How many can you pick off?"

Liam scoped his targets. The turians kept their distance from the batarians, but while the batarians lounged in their home field advantage the turians stood alert ready for anything short of the apocalypse to drop by.

"Vega and I can get the two batarians on the right, but someone needs to down the last one while his back is turned. The four turians near the Scout will be tricky." Even as he said it he still couldn't believe he was in the presence of an old turian vehicle like the Scout. Its massive Jeep-like contour and mounted gun made them the most versatile vehicles back during the First Contact War. They were also the first designs turians adapted from humans for guerilla warfare. But they were all but abandoned when the turians started development on their own fleet of ground vehicles.

"Don't worry about the turians," Dana replied, as she used hand signals to send Casey and Glen into position. "Blitz and Gordon can handle them. I'll take the spare batarian."

As the team dispersed, Liam picked his targets as Vega did the same. When the green acknowledge lights flashed on his HUD, Liam carefully waited until the batarian moved away before shooting him right in the eyes. Vega's silenced shot followed up and made quick work of his buddy.

Liam waited for the heat sink to cool down as he watched Dana sneak up and drive a combat knife right into the spare batarian's jugular.

The turians didn't suspect a thing when two biotic charges knocked them off their feet. The bodies twitched as Glen and Casey shot three rounds each in Mozambique drill style, from their silenced pistols.

Flores got into position behind the door as Vega switched to his assault rifle and ran for the entrance. Liam covered him but kept the Mantis in hand.

When Liam reached them, Casey entered the warehouse first followed by Glen. Stealth was to their advantage and judging from the quietness, the other teams were doing just as well.

Casey grabbed a batarian from behind and slit his throat before quietly dragging him away.

Glen snuck up behind a turian and double tapped him with two silenced rounds to the chest. When both biotics cleared a path, Dana, Liam and Vega advanced cautiously. The warehouse was a technical maze of boxes and grass cutting equipment.

"_We're in," _Dana relayed to the other fireteams as they crouched behind some boxes and scanned the area ahead. Liam could see the beginnings of a clearing in the maze of storage from over her shoulder. _"All units report."_

"_Foxtrot here," _The sergeant replied, _"All tangos down. Rear entrance secure, anti-air disabled."_

"_Fireteam Bravo," _the woman from earlier replied, _"no hostiles left. West__ wing secure, moving in to reinforce the front."_

"_Omega," _Hunter spoke, _"All clear on the East __wing. We'll fall back and keep a perimeter."_

"_Good work,"_ Dana replied. _"Indigo is inside and we're going silent. Keep your eyes peeled out there."_

"_Aye aye, ma'am_,_"_all team leaders announced in unison.

Liam signaled everyone forward and kept the Mantis downrange. The four of them jumped a single stack of boxes and snuck around to the heart of the warehouse, following the faint sound of conversation.

Glen and Casey marked their targets up above and indicated that they were going around and up to the scaffolding. Vega and Flores hunkered down, not far from the prime spot where a turian and a batarian sat at a rickety old desk. They both had two guards of their species flanking them, each trying to win the silent staring contest.

"What makes you think we're ready to pay that much?" the turian accused.

Dana signaled to a cowering figure huddled in the far corner with a black bag over her head and chains that cut into her wrists. The prisoner seemed to be forgotten in the meeting's proceedings.

"It's your design, is it not?" the batarian retorted. His garb of gold plated armor made him important but it also painted him as a major target.

Flores moved but Liam held her back before she did something stupid. At her gaze he shook his head, motioning to wait.

"My point exactly," the turian continued, "Cerberus stole our plans and we thank you kindly for recovering them. But we're here to pick up the goods, not re-negotiate a price."

"We'll we're not in the business of fixed transactions," the gruff batarian replied. "We're handing you a weapon that'll boost your military might ages into the future. I think you can understand the increase in price this type of power demands."

Liam scoped his target and Vega tapped him on the back before signalling up to Casey and Vega who made quick work of the two guards on the scaffolding.

"We're not stupid enough to think you haven't copied the plans," the turian accused. "Look, let's not let a misunderstanding get between us. We came here on a predetermined price, we'll take the prototype as well as the woman and we will both go our separate ways."

The batarian smirked and blinked all four of his eyes. The turian mimicked the gesture and it suddenly dawned on both men that the other wasn't going to make it out alive.

Before Indigo could attack, the turian pulled a pistol on the batarian who drew his just in time to fire back. When the bosses engaged, so did their cronies. Shoulders were torn and hearts exploded in the close proximity of the shots.

The lead batarian took one in the shoulder and was first on his feet. As the turian leader struggled for breath, he received a bullet to the head.

The turian's bodyguards overpowered the batarians. Two of them quickly jumped on the leader, but he was too fast and shook them off.

Deciding he's had enough spectatorship, Liam popped up and shot a turian right through the heart. Vega downed the other with a precise shot from his Helix.

Flores dashed over the crates and slammed her boot right into the batarian's knee; knocking him off balance before he could fire at the prisoner.

Downed and moaning beneath her the batarian garbled profanities but only his green blood bubbled up through his mouth. As he neared the dead man, Liam could see the holes from the shoot-out peppered throughout his armor.

One of the batarian guards reached for his fallen pistol but Shepard drew the Paladin and shot him in the head.

"Who...are...you?" the lead batarian gargled as Dana got off of him.

"Your worst fucking nightmare," she replied and put him out of his misery with a burst from her Thunder assault rifle.

When the batarian died, Liam collapsed his Mantis and clipped it onto his back. Vega and the others were saying something but he couldn't hear what it was. Something in his heart was at peace as he watched Flores cautiously approach the chained woman.

Dana shot him an anxious look before crouching down beside the prisoner. It sounded like she was gagged, so she struggled to find the source of the shots and what killed her attackers.

At Flores' touch, the woman shuddered in fear. "It's alright," Dana tried to soothe as she slipped the bag from the woman's head. "You're safe now."

Liam felt his heart sink when he realized it wasn't Elena. But the captain didn't treat her any different, there was no surprise or shock on her part she simply removed the gag from the young woman's mouth and worked off her chains.

It wasn't until Vega bumped his arm that Liam was taken back to reality. "We've got a problem. There was an explosion not far from here."

o~O~o

_**Location: Classified Cerberus Safehouse—Anhur, New Thebes. **_

The entrance exploded into a pile of rubble. "Surprise!" Banes yelled from the smoke of his destruction as he stepped through what used to be the front door.

Miranda wanted to kill him right here right now. If this was his version of stealth then they were already in trouble. There was no doubt this blast would attract the attention of the entire galaxy.

But there was no time to argue now, they had to get in and get out before anyone came snooping around. "Move in. Dmitri, Svetlana, check the upstairs. Banes, with me. We're going to the basement."

"Where is everyone?" Banes exclaimed; arms wide as Dima and Sveta ran past him.

"Move it," Miranda seethed. Petrovsky's questions filtered into her ears and she tried to stay calm with her answers. "No survivors to report at the moment."

Downstairs she grit her teeth when she found her contact. Bleeding profusely with just an inch away from death, Gus looked nothing like the competent operative she liked to use. His left arm was mangled and just barely hanging on, three shots seemed to have punctured his chest but didn't finish the job yet.

Clearing the room, she went back to his chair and tapped his cheek. "Operative Harris, can you hear me?"

Gus groggily opened his eyes. His vitals didn't read too well on her omni-tool, but Miranda made a show of trying to help him anyways. There was nothing like the glimmer of hope to prompt some cooperation. "Where...Ms. Lawson?" he asked, clearly dazed.

"You're going to be fine," she lied. He lost too much blood and had minutes at best. She started prying the cuffs from his one intact hand. "Tell me what happened?"

Banes leapt down the stairs and took the place in. "And I thought my lab was a mess," he mused.

"Quiet!" Miranda shouted, before leaning closer to hear Gus' whispered words.

"Flores...she's gone...found me out," he managed through a spittle of blood. "Sharp one…and...Kassel …I"

"Do you know where they went?" Miranda asked, unlatching one cuff she moved onto the next. Though there was no need since that arm was nearly severed at the elbow.

Gus laughed and choked on his own blood. "I'm sorry, ma'am...I...I"

"Forget that," Miranda said, unlatching the final cuff and holding his head up. "Just tell me where they went."

"Warehouse..." Gus managed before a violent coughing fit ended with his silence.

The sound of Banes' steps ended beside her. She didn't look at him, only the operative whose eyes were now closed, his breathing shallow with the rattle of impending death. "He's gone, Lawson."

"Dammit," Miranda cursed and ran to his console. There was too much information so she narrowed it down to anything even remotely connected to Anhur or a warehouse. There was still nothing.

Banes picked up a datapad and started playing with it. "She's erased everything."

Miranda punched the console and thought of what to do next. They had the perfect advantage and now it was lost. She looked around hoping for any clues but amongst the broken datapads and large pieces of debris thanks to Banes' entrance, there was nothing left.

That's when the legs of a second chair caught her eyes. Miranda pushed past Banes and knelt down by the broken and uncomfortable piece of furniture to snag the cuffs. "She had someone else here."

Banes hunkered down beside her and raised the other cuff. The small ring of blood lined it. "Ready to follow the bloody red trail?" Banes coaxed, but she was already on her feet.

"Dmitri, Svetlana, we have a possible agent on the loose," Miranda relayed as she leapt away from Gus' body. "Gather as much data as you can before the authorities arrive then join us. We're going to track them."

"Now we're talking, Lawson," Banes cackled with glee and as he ran past her and up the stairs.

o~O~o

_**Location: Batarian state controlled warehouse—Anhur, New Thebes. **_

Outside the warehouse, four Kodiaks hovered in the air. When the lone prisoner was taken aboard, Flores turned to her squad. "We're going to check out that explosion."

"You're sure, ma'am?" Casey asked, albeit a little flippantly and nothing like her usual cheery self. "I think this world has police for that."

"It's worth a look," Liam said as he hot-wired the turian jeep. "Something this close to the warehouse can't be unrelated."

"If the police are already there then we'll leave them alone," Dana clarified, as she walked over to his side. "I just want to be sure we didn't miss anything."

Shepard knew she was ready to scour the entire planet if it meant finding her sister, but didn't say anything. It hurt enough to know that she was keeping it together despite the disappointment.

The turian jeep roared to life. "Got it," Liam announced as Vega bounded inside and grasped the machine gun at the back.

"Where did you learn to hot-wire a turian Scout?" Dana inquired with a raised brow.

"Trade secret," he winked at her, "if I told you, I'd have to teach you."

Flores only smirked and shut her visor before getting into the passenger seat. _"The rest of you head back to the hotel. I'm taking Shepard and Vega to check this out then rendezvous with you later."_

"_You sure about this?"_

"_What happened to not questioning the captain?" _she teased with amusement.

Glen huffed a laugh_. "Be careful, Dana."_

"_You too."_

Confident that he managed to convert at least half of the drive controls to human gestures, Liam gunned the engine and the turian Scout shot forward into the night.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Location: 20 minutes out from the batarian merchant docks— batarian state highway 48—Anhur, New Thebes.**_

At least the batarian state knew how to make roads, Elena gave them that much. Speeding down Highway 48 felt like driving on butter, everything was smooth, calm and completely devoid of life. Exactly how she felt right now as she watched the motion blur of the boreal forest around her.

The Jeep that Gus so gracefully set aside for them still used a steering wheel. For all their road innovations batarians had a bad habit of copying old human technology. It was awkward at first, but holding onto something sturdy kept her hands occupied and away from her moist cheeks.

She fiddled with the ancient radio on the dash. Selina once showed her how to tune one to the right frequency, but all they got was some boring conspiracy broadcast. They usually came from the same delusional prophet that claimed there were cops on Omega.

Elena jerked her hand away as the radio came to life. _"—And now from DJ Madura's 21__st__ century revival mixes, we bring you spies by Coldplay." _

_"I awake to find no peace of mind_

_Said, how do you live? As a fugitive._

_Down here, I cannot sleep from fear no._

_Which way do I turn. Oh I forget everything I learned._

_And the spies came out –"_

Elena slammed the tuner off and continued the drive in silence. It's like God himself was laughing at her for being so stupid. She always thought that Mark would have her back. That he was tired of this lifestyle too. It made her sick to think that he could use his greybox as a bargaining chip. As if all those years of toiling in seclusion, of making advanced breakthroughs by going against nature suddenly meant nothing but profit. Sure she had her reservations about Cerberus, but they were under Alliance control. There was safety in that blue uniform which was gone the moment they switched to gold, white and black without warning. Of course both Petrovsky and Kahoku always quelled her concerns but now, without her mentors and without her team Elena had no one to blame but herself for this mess. The past decade with Cerberus started eating at her insides. _Is this punishment for everything I've done?_ _Akuze, the rachnii...?_ _Was my relationship the price for all of those wrongs?_ _Hell, was it a relationship at all or was Mark just stringing me along? _

The questions nagged at her but Elena forced herself to look ahead. There was no point in looking back now, only heartache and deception lay there. She had a future to safeguard and thanks to that two-timing bastard she wasn't sure of what future either military powers envisioned.

Elena lowered her speed as she entered the back roads of the spaceport. There was some sparse civilian traffic, mostly just shipping crews working to load cargo bound off-world. Thankfully none of it seemed to be cages full of humans.

Car lights flared up ahead. At first she dismissed the vehicle as a simple civilian model, but when the mounted turret poked up from the silhouette she grew suspicious. _Alright, nothing to worry about. Just a security vehicle. They don't know who you are._

As the two cars drew closer, Elena felt her heart drumming in panic. There was nowhere to go if they weren't friendlies, this would either be a fight to the death or a head-on collision.

The Jeeps just barely squeezed past before Elena slammed her breaks.

The other car did the same and screeched to a halt.

Heart threatening to explode, Elena took a deep breath and wondered if she was seeing things. _It can't be..._

The other Jeep stood idle in her side mirror, she could see the back of the big guy in the mounted turret talking with the other two, but no one was opening fire on her. It wasn't until she saw Dana jump out from the side that she got her first taste of relief.

As her sister ran towards her Elena felt the tears return. There was something comforting in knowing she was near, thank god, this nightmare might be coming to an end. Elena undid her belt and hopped out into her path. "Dana," she greeted, unable to believe her eyes. Her sister hadn't changed a bit, the same windswept shoulder-length hair framed her face and didn't obscure her killshot. Elena sighed, getting tired of loved ones pointing guns at her tonight.

"Don't move!" Dana roared, eyes alight with fury. "Turn around with your hands up."

A stab of pain hit Elena as she recognized the deadly look in Dana's irises. Over the past four months she had been hunted like an animal, attacked without provocation and forced to defend herself, betrayed by her boyfriend and yet none of that matched the overwhelming grief of being her sister's target. _Of course. Why would anything change now? The Alliance is her family. It always was._ "Nice to see you too," Elena threw back wanly.

"Hands up, turn around and move away from the vehicle!" Dana repeated. Elena slowly did as she was told and caught sight of two men descending on her jeep. This had to be some sick joke. For a moment she thought this was Cerberus running some sort of hallucinogenic test on her already fragile psyche, but the illusion of all of this being a dream was shattered when she felt the cold metallic tip of a rifle barrel at her lower back. If this was anyone else one flick of the wrist would have them eating a biotic warp. But Elena couldn't find the strength to siphon even that much of her dark energy.

"All clear," a familiar male voice said before his boots sounded on the dirt near them. "Elena?"

"Whoa, you know her, Loco?" The other man asked.

Elena tried to look back but was prodded forward with the butt of her sister's rifle. "Don't move!" Dana commanded, even as the men shuffled beside her.

"Hey." Elena felt the sensation of the rifle's tip leave her back. "What the hell are you doing?" the man asked.

"Shepard, get out of my way," Dana ground out. Elena listened closely while ignoring the pain in her fatigued arms and keeping still. The last thing anyone needed was Dana opening fire out of reflex.

"No." The refusal was absolute and strong.

_Shepard? _The image of the cute war hero on the news finally hit her brain and gave Elena the courage to turn towards a bizarre scene. Here was a man she didn't know, defending her against her own sister.

"Step away, that's an order!" Dana yelled, though her quaking hands gave her away. "This is some sick joke...my sister is... I thought you..."

When Shepard took the rifle from her sister, Elena stepped forward and that's when she saw it. All the grief, rage and pain Dana futilely tried to swallow finally bubbled towards the surface. As their eyes met it was like a dam burst and suddenly Dana's moist eyes matched her own.

Elena enveloped her sister in a comforting hug and buried her head in Dana's shoulder. "I'm right here, sis."

"I thought you were dead," she heard Dana's muffled voice against her head. But none of that mattered now.

She felt Dana's arms rise around her back. The sisters stayed in their embrace, clutching each other for dear life. Elena's heart fluttered with excitement as the realization that Dana cared finally hit home. Normal operatives would have stopped to think about the tactical disadvantage of being out in the open, but Elena was done over-analyzing everything. For once she just wanted to believe what was directly in front of her, family.

When Elena opened her eyes, she caught Shepard smiling to her and mouthed a 'thank you' his way. There was no doubt in her mind that they wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for him.

The war hero only nodded and hung back with the guy who seemed like a bodybuilder's wet dream. When Dana drew back and did a once-over her eyes clouded in concern. "You're crying?"

"So are you," Elena teased lightly, trying to wipe at her own tears. "It's good to see you, D."

"Likewise." She felt relieved as Dana's gloved hands rubbed her shoulders and arms. "Let's get you home."

Elena chortled at that. There was no home for her, not as long as Cerberus was on her tail. "You got my distress signal?"

Dana looked to her quizzically. "That was you?"

"It was supposed to point you to the warehouse," Elena said quickly, "please tell me Selina is okay?"

"She's fine," Dana assured, putting an arm around her as they walked towards..._oh god, a turian Scout_. Elena tried not to laugh at their ancient wheels. Sure the anti-air Jeep Gus procured was from another century, but even that had a technological advantage in the form of a communication jammer, over this relic of the First Contact War. The Scout belonged in a museum.

Shepard seemed to find this amusing as his green eyes followed her line of sight. "It won't fall apart, I promise," he assured.

"Oh yeah?" Elena said, feeling so much better in the past fifteen minutes than she had in the past four months of running. "Is that what the curator said?"

Shepard laughed and threw his hands up in defeat. "Hey, don't be so judgmental. At least it has a working turret unlike your scrapheap," he said with a nod to her Jeep where his buddy stood at the gun controls.

The other guy tried starting the barrel but kept shaking his head. "It's totally fried. You'd be a sitting duck with this thing, Ms..." the big guy stammered.

Dana straightened up, reverting to fully composed captain mode in record timing. "Vega, meet my sister Major Elena Flores."

"Hey." Elena waved as the beefy man jumped down and gave a crisp salute alongside Shepard. "Oh, no that's not necessary," Elena said quickly, not feeling worthy of a salute. She cast a glance to the oblivious dock workers instead who, being no strangers to big guns and old machines, ignored them and continued working.

"This is Commander Liam Shepard and 2nd Lieutenant James Vega," Dana continued proudly as she turned back to Elena. "They helped me scour the galaxy for you."

It wasn't long before Elena found herself outvoted and packed into the back of the Jeep with Shepard and Dana at the front and Vega manning the turret overhead. They rolled through the dense spaceport and slowed as workers moved cargo onto waiting ships, making snail-like progress. Elena studied Shepard's profile and smiled at the quick glances he kept stealing towards Dana. There was more than simple concern there, something her sister was naturally oblivious to as she kept her eyes forward.

Deciding to get it over with, Elena leaned forward between their seats. "You know I can't go with you right, sis?"

"We found your archives, Elena," Dana stated. The change of topic earned a weird glance from Shepard but he didn't say anything. "You're going to tell me what the hell is on them and then we're going to hand it over to Alliance command."

"Heh, it's not that simple, D." Elena sighed, not really in the mood to talk about this but knowing there was no way of avoiding it either. "I know you want answers but they're going to have to wait. I don't know how far Cerberus has infiltrated the Alliance and I can't risk them getting their hands on sensitive intel."

"In case you haven't noticed, your life is in danger," Dana spat, turning to her incredulously. "Listen to me and we'll get you out of this."

Deciding to switch tactics Elena turned to Shepard. "She's all thumbs when it comes to tech. I'm guessing this is where you come in?"

"Uh," Shepard hesitated between the road and the two conflicting faces. "It'd help if we could read your notes."

"So you haven't been able to decipher them?" Elena asked, feeling the small thread of relief that everything wasn't lost.

"No," Shepard confirmed by avoiding Dana's glare, "we're in the process of de-activating the secured matrix you've put them in."

"What's on there?" Dana demanded.

"Stuff that could get a lot of people killed," Elena said simply. "Listen, I can't come with you. I know you'll fight me and probably win Dana but you have to understand that what I'm doing is right. That information could hurt the Alliance just as much as it can hurt Cerberus."

"How do you know this?" Dana asked, her tone softening by the lowest octave.

"I just do," Elena whispered, wishing she had all the answers but with Mark_...no...no maybe it was better to just let them have the intel...then again..._ The conflicting emotions resumed their onslaught, never letting her enjoy peace.

A part of her wanted to warn them about the indoctrination weapon, but the other more emotional part recoiled at the potential misuse that would ensue. Despite his betrayal, Elena stubbornly concluded that Mark was right. The Alliance would seek to understand this monster in their own way. They would deconstruct the research and many innocent people would die because Alliance scientists would undoubtedly try to recreate Cerberus experiments.

"I trust you, sis. You know I do," Dana replied calmly. "But I can't let you sit on something this big. Not when it could get you killed."

Elena hated the pang of self-inflicted guilt in Dana's voice. She also loathed being the person who put it there, but Dana wasn't going to let this go and chose to brood in silence. As they meandered through the space port, Elena wondered how fast she could slip away into one of the departing ships.

Her gaze darted to Shepard. "Hey, when you finally break the code don't judge me. Okay?"

Liam glanced to her in confusion but kept his hands firmly on the wheel. "I don't understand, Major?"

"You really don't have to," Elena said, returning her gaze to Dana. "D, I'm not going to sit here and argue with you. But there's no time for—"

A biotic explosion detonated before them. Shepard jerked the wheel but there was no avoiding the sudden minefield of biotic explosions, one of which sideswiped the Scout and stopped them in their tracks.

The howl of contracting metal screeched against the front hood of the Scout as the resulting momentum sent the vehicle flying. There was a brief moment of weightlessness as the old Scout flipped over its front. Secured only by her seatbelt, Elena saw the ground flying below them. Surprisingly, Vega was still attached to the turret and opened fire, despite being upside down. Elena couldn't see the enemy he was shooting at, but she knew that they would all be missing their heads if they landed like this.

Elena clenched her fists and pulsed her biotics. As the pavement rose up to meet them, she pushed out with all her might and sent a powerful throw towards the ground. The rudimentary volley worked, as the Scout flipped over its axis and landed on its wheels with a devastating crash.

The Scout whined as its systems announced critical engine failure. Elena thanked herself for wearing a seatbelt even as she tore it from her person. Dana and Shepard looked pretty bad from hitting their heads on the windshield.

Meanwhile the steady pulse of machine gun fire continued overhead as Vega sent controlled bursts into the blue tornado before them. Elena blinked the stars from her vision as she clambered out the side and yanked Dana's door open. "Dana?"

"It's alright," her sister assured, as she grabbed her rifle and gingerly reached over to Shepard who was hunched over the steering wheel. "He's unconscious. Help him!"

Elena rushed over to his side while Dana and Vega concentrated on whatever being was inside that biotic cluster. The distinct lack of any return fire made her uneasy. _What type of enemy doesn't fight back?_ From the corner of her eye she could see most of the batarian workers running away, leaving their stock where it fell. Meanwhile the massive cargo ships continued their launch, none the wiser to the commotion on the ground.

"What the hell is this thing, Captain?" Vega roared over the sound of his bullets.

"Just don't let up!" Dana yelled back as she peered through her rifle scope, waiting for their enemy to come forth.

Elena tugged at Shepard's door, but it didn't budge. Thankfully Shepard was starting to come to. He slowly pushed away from the steering wheel and gently worked his neck as his eyes scanned the situation. Deciding not to let him get too comfy in the middle of a fire-fight, Elena tapped the window to get his attention and motioned for him to take cover.

Shepard seemed to get the hint and ducked as Elena condensed biotic energy into her hands and swung at the glass.

A flash of blue from the front caught her eye. She made to move but it was too late. The blistering heat of biotics hit her side and she was thrown clear of the vehicle.

Elena heard gunfire mixed with her sister's panicked voice as she skidded to a halt on her back. Coughing through the cloud of dust, Elena searched for her attacker only to find herself among towers of shipping containers. The Scout was ten feet away and she could see Dana scrambling to get to her while Vega aimed the turret at their approaching enemy.

Elena squinted and tried to see beyond the enemy's biotic barrier. The shield flickered with each round and gave her a clearer picture.

Her eyes adjusted to the furious ones of _Alexei Barens? No. I've hit my head too hard. _Staring transfixed at the approaching figure. As Dana neared her side, Elena stood on wobbly legs and pulsed her biotics. The left side of her body felt sensitive, but the sting wasn't debilitating.

"We need to move, D. Get them out of here!" Elena yelled as she glanced back to the Scout. Shepard was pounding on the door, trapped in his seat. Vega swiveled the turret to keep up but was slowly losing ground to Alexei.

The approaching figure barred his teeth in a vicious smile. Those dark venous arms were bent at 45 degree angles and sustained his biotic shield. His bio luminescent eyes shone with an unhealthy glee as his biotics did the impossible and stopped the bullets. Elena wasn't sure how it was possible, but somehow Vega's rounds were being absorbed by the impostor's bubble shield. They flew in the direction of center mass, got stuck in an invisible line and seemed to hang suspended.

As the bullets rotated in mid-air, Elena dashed for the Scout and threw up a biotic barrier just in time to deflect the returning rounds.

"Free Shepard and run for it!" Elena ordered, using all her strength to sustain the shield, while glancing over to their enemy. Fatigue was starting to set in as darkness perked the edges of her vision. Not daring to lower her heavy arms, Elena grit her teeth against the sting at her side and focused on her shields. It had been hours since she had last eaten a proper meal and the use of biotics was starting to take its toll.

The mounted turret overloaded from within and exploded in a cloud of sparks. Vega fell backwards and tumbled off the Scout as a dozen molten car fragments rained down on him.

Before she could ask the big guy if he was okay, Miranda Lawson stepped from her hiding place behind a trailer and drew her gun on him. Elena fired on her but the woman was quick and dove back into cover. Dana ran ahead and engaged the operative, the two exchanged fire while Vega struggling to brush off the molten bits of the Scout from his suit.

Under normal circumstances Elena wouldn't have bat an eyelash at Cerberus' head bitch in charge. Lawson had the bark and maybe the determination, but her biotics were pathetic in comparison. However with this impostor backing her, Elena found herself outnumbered as she walked backwards towards Shepard's door, keeping herself between the war hero and her nemesis.

"It's been a long time, Flores," the impostor said, grinning wide. He glanced over to Lawson and Dana as they sparred before settling his gaze to her. "Did you miss me?"

"You need to back the fuck away, Alexei," Elena said, allowing her biotics to envelop herself completely. She knew it wasn't nearly enough energy to fight him off. The dark veins staining his biceps and lining the corners of his eyes already told her that much.

"My name is Armistan Banes, my dear." With that he raised both hands towards the air and disappeared.

The quick suction sound of a plunger made Elena jump and turn to her second bizarre sight of the night. The impostor somehow managed to teleport past her and rip Shepard's door away. Shepard groggily reached for his pistol only to have Alexei fling it from his grasp with a simple wave of his hand.

Elena concentrated all of her destructive energy and flung a powerful throw that would knock a normal person off-world.

It was absorbed by his shields and left Elena defenseless. She thought about using her pistol, but seeing how a turret was completely useless she opted to preserve her bullets.

Vega, finally free of the heated bits that melted his armor, scrambling for his rifle but Lawson warped him before it could clear his fired at the impostor, but ran towards Vega and managed to knock him down again before one of Lawson's bullets took his head off.

"So what's it going to be, my dear Flores?" Armistan Banes stopped at Shepard's side and grasped the war hero's throat. Shepard stiffened under his touch and gagged as if possessed. "Will you sacrifice the lives of innocents to keep me from my work?"

"Let him go!" Elena yelled, refusing to believe what her eyes were telling her. This man was indeed Alexei Barens. The matrix of black veins couldn't hide his short blonde hair and youthful physique. She couldn't believe this man was once a test subject, let alone a colleague at one point.

The man seemed to follow her line of thinking as he grinned that predatory smile and tightened his grip on Shepard's throat. "What will it take, Elena?"

"We need that data," Lawson's voice interrupted from behind them as she descended on Vega after overloading Dana's shields, "and we have orders to exterminate you if it means getting to that greybox."

Vega's strangled cry pierced the air as operative Lawson hit him with another warp. The guilt started eating at her, these people were just trying to help and now they would be pawns in this messed up game. But if she looked at it critically, the information that she was fighting her damnest to protect was worth more than the lives of these people, even her own sister. Elena glanced at Shepard's semi-conscious form as she summoned another wave of biotic energy from her arsenal.

"I don't know what you think you're doing," Elena grumbled, "but you're not getting anything from me."

Before Elena could unleash her attack, Dana recovered and fired a steady burst from her Thunder assault rifle right at Banes' head. He dropped Shepard who wheezed and spat in his seat. "Run, now!" her sister ordered and Elena didn't have to be told twice as she took off.

Elena shot a biotic throw at Lawson, who jumped away from Vega's heaving form. The soldier made another valiant lunge for his rifle, but it was easily knocked from his hands as Banes teleported before him.

Elena heard the plunger sound again before powerful arms grabbed her around the neck and squeezed tightly. The air constricted in her throat as her vision began to flicker.

"I always did like the fight in you, my dear," the man wearing Alexei's face whispered in her ear. "So determined, so strong, you could have been perfect too."

"The hell...you know about me..." Elena managed as she fought to shake him off.

"A lot more than you think. You see, I don't die so easily my dear." He threw her to the ground and Elena felt the air leave her lungs. Banes fished a syringe from his pocket. "Now consider this my gift to you," he said, leaning closer.

"Let her go!" Shepard yelled, pistol aimed at Banes. From the corner of her eye, Elena could see Dana running their way, as Vega kept suppressive fire on Miranda.

"You're...indoctrinated..."Elena managed through clenched teeth, as if that truth would snap this madman from his goal. "Fight it...Alexei"

"My name is Armistan Banes now. And on the contrary, I don't have to fight anything," the man replied, ignoring Shepard completely as he brought the needle close. "See for yourself and reap the results of your endeavors, Elena Flores."

"Stop!" Shepard fired but the bullets didn't even touch the man. Instead they froze in place and fell to the ground like hail.

"On second thought, perhaps a fresh sample will be more interesting." Banes flipped the syringe and flung it over Elena's head. She followed it's graceful arc, eyes widening as the needle buried itself in her sister's neck, stopping her dead in her tracks.

Banes cackled in victory and Elena felt the anger boil through her system as she watched Shepard rush towards Dana's form. Elena fired stasis, warp and overload in quick succession to try and put some distance between them but it didn't work, Banes' biotics absorbed everything.

Alexei's mad laughter only continued before a rocket slammed into his body, its impact tossed Elena aside. She rolled near to where Shepard held her sister and scrambled to her feet. "Is she okay?" Elena demanded.

"She has a pulse," Shepard confirmed as he helped Dana stand.

Whatever was in that syringe didn't seem to take effect as Dana narrowed her eyes at their enemy. "Elena, go. We'll take care of him," Dana said, pushing away from Shepard and hoisting her rifle from the dirt.

When the dust cleared, Banes scrambled to his feet in a rage and sought out his attacker.

"But?" Elena glanced around for the source of the rocket but found nothing as Shepard signaled for Vega to flank Banes as he covered him from Lawson.

"Run for it!" Elena looked up to Mark's familiar face from his position atop a warehouse roof. The missile launcher on his shoulder fired again, sending a swirling rocket towards Banes before he disappeared into the cluster of shipping containers.

Elena shot a hesitant look at Shepard and Vega who were dodging and trying to fire at Operative Lawson, their combined efforts practically futile against the agile biotic. Then she looked to Dana who continued shooting. "Go!" she yelled, before resuming fire on Banes who couldn't deflect both attacks and staggered for the first time.

With one last look at everyone who was fighting for her safety, Elena sprinted towards the space port with a heavy heart. All instincts screamed for her to turn around and help, but the logical soldier at her core knew this was the right thing to do. Armistan Banes was all the proof she needed that indoctrination had to be fought. If the rachnii, or worse the Reapers controlled such powerful agents then all of humanity was royally screwed.

Losing herself among the maze of warehouses and stock, Elena pushed forward. She scaled a wall, and got the best view of the latest cargo ship to launch, unaware of the destruction just beyond its docking bay.

She dropped into a roll and heard the sound of teleportation gaining behind her. There were three more ships prepping for launch less than a sprint away. Choosing the one on her left, Elena took off at a sprint. The wet pavement slapped against her boots, each thud reverberating up her calves only served to reinforce her pace. She thanked Christ for Cerberus' brutal physical regime, ironically it was useful for running away from them.

The docking doors were already half closed but she still had ten yards to go. Elena pumped her legs as fast as she could, pushing herself past every physical limitation her mind manifested. This being a batarian planet, the bastards weren't big on waiting and the ship was already unlatched from its ramp despite the fact that the door was still closing.

As it hovered in mid-air, readying its thrusters for full propulsion to break through the nitrogen rich atmosphere of Anhur, Elena felt the clank of the metal ramp replace the pavement. _Just a bit further now._

She leapt into the air and used the tiniest burst of biotics to steady her trajectory and slide through the door. The metal door clamped shut behind her and she felt the ship burst towards space.

Taking short shallow breaths, Elena stood on shaking legs. This should have felt like victory but all she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die. She ran like a coward and there was no two ways of reading into it. _A fucking coward!_

Seeing Dana again was exhilarating. To know that her sister had a heart, to have it proven before her very eyes was everything Elena dreamed of. But leaving her so soon was heartbreaking. Elena had no delusions, she knew that she would have had to escape eventually; not because she didn't trust Dana but because she didn't want her sister in harm's way when the time came to dig into this shit cake. However, it didn't make leaving any less painful. Her mind was doing overtime trying to figure out what that fucker actually injected into her sister, but the list of potential drugs was too long.

Her fist slammed the bulkhead as she hung her head in shame and regret. She punched it again and again, landing one solid thud after another until a cold hand gripped her wrist in mid-air.

Elena whipped around to find Mark standing behind her. "They'll hear us."

A million emotions swept through her, starting with hurt and ending with betrayal. She yanked her hand away and drew her pistol in one swift move. It didn't matter that he saved her life. He was still the enemy in her eyes and she wasn't falling for his tricks this time.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the delay folks. I took some time away to handle my crazy schedule, but I'll be back in full swing with more updates for this story as well as Omega Metro. Thank you all for your wonderful and constructive reviews, they really do help.**


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